Dharwad is a region of Karnataka which is adorned with many specialties. The undisputed foremost among them is Dharwad's famous classical singer, Dr. Gangubai Hangal. You all are already aware of her. Another specialty of Dharwad is its famous sweet, Dharwad Peda. I tasted it for the first time 10-12 years ago in Bangalore. As soon as I put it on my tongue, my first expressions were something like this, 'Mathura Peda in Bangalore'! I had some Kannada speaking friends from Karnataka with me. My expressions probably hurt their Kannada pride. They immediately refuted my conclusion. They firmly stated that it is pure Dharwad Peda and it is not available anywhere else except Dharwad, famous as this educational center city.
My conscience was not ready to accept this. It was further strengthening my curiosity that this peda must have some connection with the famous Mathura peda. This curiosity of mine was fulfilled after many years when I reached the famous Babusingh Thakur's sweet shop located in Line Bazar of Dharwad.
Dharwad Peda – A popular Indian dessert
As much as I had heard about Babusingh Thakur Mishtan Bhandar, which was famous in the entire state of Karnataka, I had an idea in my mind that it would be a very huge modern shop filled with different kinds of sweets. But the actual form of the shop was just the opposite. The shop looked like a big square hole in the wall. The shop was being run by two young men. Moreover, this street has been named after this shop, Line Bazar. Why? Because every morning there was a long queue of customers in front of this shop to buy this peda. Later I came to know that when the number of customers was very high, each customer could take only 500 grams of peda so that everyone could get enough peda.
I reached the shop and asked to meet the shop owner. The shop staff was shocked to hear my demand. “They themselves do not meet any customer”. I remained firm on my demand. Finally, they gave me the telephone number of the most junior business member of the family. Also, they warned me that I cannot take photographs of these sweets. Seeing the camera hanging on my shoulder, they almost challenged me that I can never take a picture of those trees.
Mathura Peda
Finally I met Babusingh Thakur. He is the grandson of the original Babusingh Thakur who is credited with bringing this famous peda to this city. His residence is at the back of the shop. I met him at his residence. He told me that his family's origin is Uttar Pradesh. Over time, he reached Dharwad via Unnao in Bengal. He also admitted that Mathura peda is the ancestor of this locally popular sweet. I felt a little proud of my judgment. My taste buds had given me the right indication.
Babu Singh Thakur's family is from Uttar Pradesh but a few moments ago I saw him instructing his employees in Kannada. I wanted to know the language his family spoke among themselves. He immediately replied “Hindi”. After that I also started talking to him in pure Hindi. He told me how his grandfather and father started this business and expanded it. In the beginning, his grandfather and father used to make pedas themselves every morning at their residence and sell them from this shop.
memories of the past
Babu Singh Thakur ji started wandering in the memories of his past. He told that there used to be a long queue of customers in front of his shop. Every day, all his pedas used to get finished between 10 am to 12 noon. Since he used to prepare all the sweets himself at his residence, he could not make more than 50 kg of sweets daily. His words reminded me of Chitale Bandhu's Bhakarwadi of Pune. His special creations also used to get finished in a few hours in the morning. There are many such sweet shops in many places of India which are world famous, making that place proud.
At present, many chains of Peda vendors have cropped up in Dharwad. Incidentally, most of these businessmen hail from Uttar Pradesh. Babusingh Peda has also made great progress in the last few years. Now he has three factories where he prepares different types of sweets. He has many shops in almost all the cities of the state. I saw his advertisements at many places. His name was written almost everywhere at Dharwad bus stand.
On an average, they prepare around 700-800 kg of pedas per day. They have added many other popular sweets to their dessert list, such as different types of laddoos etc. They have now started making and selling items like bread, cakes, pastries etc.
Since diabetes is spreading rapidly in India, Babu Singh Thakurji, keeping in mind the health and taste of his customers, is experimenting with sweets and adding new sugar-free sweets to his list.
Visit to Dharwad Peda Factory
I was eager to visit the Dharwad Peda factory. I wanted to see how these pedas are made in large quantities. Thakurji gave me permission to do so but put a condition before me that I will not do photography there. I agreed because I should respect his demand of professional confidentiality.
While visiting the factory, I also got the impression that he keeps the ingredients list and recipe of his Dharwad Peda very private. Every morning, in the absence of the general staff, he himself collects all the ingredients and prepares the initial mixture, so that his other competitors in the market do not break his confidentiality by luring his staff in any way. While visiting the factory, I saw that he curdles the milk on a wood stove and not on a gas or electric stove. The sweet smell of the wood stove may be a major secret of the taste and aroma of the Peda.
I had never seen a sweet factory before. It was a delight to see a variety of salty and sweet items being made in large rooms. I was enjoying them with my eyes and nose. The items coming out of the hot pan and hot ghee-oil seemed so fresh. Bread was being made in one room and cake in another. Sweets were being made in the third room. Naturally, the room for making pedas would be the largest. They were packing those pedas in small cardboard boxes, closing them and keeping them in steel boxes so that they could be delivered to all the shops.
It was fascinating for me to see and understand their journey from making fresh Indian sweets using different ingredients to reaching the taste buds of customers like you and me.
Whenever you get a chance, do try this Dharwad Peda and make your family and friends taste it too. Do enjoy their other sweets too.
If I have made your tongue active and juicy then do read this version of mine also, Must-try food in Varanasi.
