In the royal kitchens of the Mysore Palace during the reign of the Wadiyar dynasty , it was Kakasura Madappa who created Mysore pak by mixing roasted gram flour (besan), boiling sugar syrup, and clarified butter in copious amounts for the first time. Now, this delicious sweet meat has become a cultural icon.




When autumn air turns brisk and the festival of lights draws near, sweet shops across the state prepare vast sheet trays of this golden confection. But something else is also cooking on the side. Just like how Dubai got its ‘ kunafa chocolate ’ in 2021 — when a chocolatier decided to craft a bar with a filling of pistachio cream, tahini and crunchy kataifi, the shredded pastry used in kunafa — the venerable 3-ingredient sweet is undergoing a vibrant, inventive culinary transformation. The classic buttery fudge is showing up as craft chocolate, baked cheesecakes, cookies and date portions.



Pushing the traditions’ limits




For legacy establishments, retaining Mysore pak’s authenticity while catering to the modern urban consumer is an exciting creative frontier. Explaining his brand’s pivot toward re-imagining Mysore pak two years ago, Sunay Bhasin, CEO of MTR Foods , notes that shifting consumer dynamics prompted the expansion: “There are a lot of people wanting to try out different kinds of sweets which they were not earlier either aware of or just couldn’t access.”




MTR has added a range of different Mysore pak varieties that Sunay prefers to call “inclusions” — milk Mysore pak, kesar badam Mysore pak, kaju Mysore pak, coffee Mysore pak, chilli Mysore pak, and a portion-controlled Mysore pak date bites.




At Sweet Karam Coffee , member concierge Rohit notes that while traditional bases remain sought-after, infused varieties spark regular customer inquiries: “We have mango Mysore pak, and paks based on cashew and filter coffee.”




At sweet houses across the city, managers point to time-honoured mainstays. At A2B , the core festive lineup includes ghee Mysore pak, and kaju, badam and special paks.




Managers say requests for horlicks-flavoured and sugar-free Mysore paks surface occasionally, but demand during the festive rush is usually for the ghee rich, OG pak. Rather than turning to artificial sweeteners, customers seeking lighter options are actively gravitating toward jaggery-based preparations, says Sai Ganesh, a marketer at India Sweet House.



Cheesecake & cookie infusions




Step inside Bengaluru’s flourishing café culture, and the fusion turns even more daring. At White Teak Roastery in Yelahanka, owner Vasant has introduced Mysore pak into the café’s pastry vitrine by pairing it with classic Western baked desserts. “Right now, we’ve begun with the Mysore pak cheesecake,” Vasant says. “We are currently testing a Mysore pak French toast and a Mysore pak infused ice cream.” The cheesecake marries creamy dairy tang with the nutty, roasted sweetness of gram flour and ghee.




The reinterpretation of the pak has also caught fire in Bengaluru’s cloud kitchens. At Hazel Pâtisserie, co-founder Amrita has tackled Mysore pak from a textural angle by capturing the roasted aromas of gram flour and ghee inside a crumbly, crisp tea-time biscuit.



Cocoa meets royal heritage




In Nagarabhavi, artisanal chocolate startup Modello Chocolates — a women-owned bean-to-bar venture founded by Annie — is paying homage to both Karnataka’s agriculture and its confectionery legacy. Modello sources its cocoa beans directly from plantations in Hassan and makes small batches of chocolate bars. For their festive range, Modello developed the Mysore pak bar, bringing local ingredients into smooth harmony: “We make our own Mysore pak basically, and then we incorporate it into our milk chocolates.”



Meanwhile, in Mysuru ...




Mysuru is ahead of its peers in the pak pivot. Mahalakshmi Sweets proprietor Shivakumar claims to have been among the first to introduce flavoured Mysuru pak, way back in 2000. The initial offerings included kaju, badam and milk flavours, he says. Today, the confectionery sells more than 2,000kg of mysuru pak daily through its 49 outlets across Karnataka, including in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Tumakuru, Shivamogga and Kodagu.




Among its 14 varieties, World of Mysore Pak in Mysuru has incorporated one based on kunafa chocolate, says store manager Rajesh. The store attracts an average of 2,500 customers daily. It also has an assorted half-kilo Mysore pak box, featuring 10 varieties.




At Guru Sweet Mart, proprietor Shivananda notes that flavoured Mysore pak requires more preparation time than the traditional version. The store sells 10 varieties of Mysore pak.