What is Mysore Pak? Is it related to Pakistan anyway?

Has Mysore Pak anything to do with Pak or Pakistan? Is it made in Pakistan? Are their makers from Pakistan? These questions became important after some shopkeepers in Jaipur changed the names of certain sweet dishes with 'Pak' in their names. They removed the word "Pak" from the names of sweets. Consequently, 'Moti Pak' became 'Moti Shree', 'Gond Pak' became 'Gond Shree' and 'Mysore Pak' is now called 'Mysore Shree'. This change in the name came after the Indo-Pak clashes in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, in which 26 unarmed civilians were gunned down by suspected Pakistan-based terrorists. India targeted nine terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). 

Analysts believe the shopkeepers changed the name to avoid any misunderstanding or attack. Earlier, some people vandalized the shops of Karachi Bakery in Hyderabad, though the shop has nothing to do with the Pakistani port city of Karachi. 

What is Mysore Pak?

It is an Indian delicacy, a sweet with Indian origin and it is loved and eaten by millions of the people in the country. Mysore Pak is made of ghee, sugar, gram flour, and often cardamom. It is generally cut in cubes. Yellow or brown in colour due to the presence of gram flour, the sweet is hard and porous when made with less ghee, and soft and dense when made with a generous amount of ghee. When prepared it is moist due to sugar and ghee, however, the moisture escapes through the greased gram flour and Mysore pak becomes porous. 

What does 'Pak' mean?

The word "Pak" actually refers to "Paaka" (पाक)  or the sticky sugar syrup obtained by simmering sugar with an equal amount of water. It also refers to the way of cooking. It is not related to Pakistan. 

How is Mysore Pak made?

The main ingredients of Mysore Pak are ghee, gram flour and sugar. Gram flour is added to generous amount of ghee and sugar to make  a soft "paaka" or mixture. A syrup solution is separately prepared by simmering sugar in water. The "paak" or the mixture is added to the sugar syrup. It is cut into cubes when it becomes cold. 

(Raja Krishna Dev Wadiyar IV)

How did Mysore Pak originate?

The Maharaja of Mysore, Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV, who ruled from 1902 to 1940 was also a foodie and maintained a large kitchen at the Amba Vilas Palace in Mysore. Kakasura Madappa, the head chef, kept on experimenting to offer something new to the king. He invented this sweet, which became iconic. He named the sweet. The word Mysore was used to credit the royal state and "pak" because it was made of "paak" or a mixture and the sugary syrup. The king was so pleased that he asked him to open a shop outside the palace so that the people, in general, could savour the sweet.  The rest is history.