Dharwad/Hubballi10 minutes agoAuthor: Ram Raj D
Who would have tasted Dharwad Peda once and would not feel like eating it again?
PM Narendra Modi had said this during the inauguration of the IIT campus in Dharwad, Karnataka in March 2023. Dharwad, located about 430 kilometers from Bengaluru, is famous for its literature, art and music.
Here musicians like Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hangal, Basavaraj Rajguru, classical singers like Pandit Kumar Gandharva, Pandit Mallikarjun Mansoor and Dr. D.R. Great writers like Bendre were born. However, Dharwad is also famous for a special sweet all over the world. That sweet is- Dharwad Peda.
Dharwad Peda, which has a history of about 178 years, is linked to the heritage of three families of Uttar Pradesh. Among them, one is Thakur and two are Mishra families. He gave recognition to Dharwad Peda not only in the country but all over the world.
In the year 2007, it was also included in the list of GI tagged sweets. With their success in Karnataka, three families from UP have broken the notion that people from northern states go to the South only to get jobs, as they have also provided employment to thousands of Kannadiga families.
Dharwad Peda is identified by the layer of sugar on it.
How did Peda making start in Dharwad? In Dharwad, three families of UP named Thakur Peda, True Mishra Peda and Big Mishra Peda have been carrying forward the legacy of their ancestors for many years. The ancestors of the Thakur family were residents of Lucknow. The roots of both the Mishra families are linked to Pratapgarh. Read the story of him making Peda in Karnataka…
1. Thakur family: Had reached Dharwad in 1846 to escape the epidemic. Durga Prasad Thakur, a member of the 5th generation of the Thakur family, says, ‘There was a cholera epidemic in Lucknow during 1846. People were migrating to other states to save their lives. During the same time, our ancestor Ramratan Singh Thakur came to Dharwad from Lucknow with his family.
‘Ramratan Singh’s family was the first family from Lucknow to settle in Dharwad. He found the taste of buffalo milk here to be exactly like the buffalo milk of Lucknow. He started making peda on a small scale. The people of the neighborhood liked its taste very much.
Durga Prasad and her son are the 5th and 6th generation of their family of Dharwad Peda makers.
According to Durga Prasad, ‘Slowly the demand started increasing and Thakur Peda became famous in Dharwad city. Ramratan Singh taught his son Mohan Singh and then grandson Babusingh Thakur to make peda. Babusingh was my grandfather. Under his leadership Dharwad Peda became a brand. People used to stand in queues outside his house since morning to buy peda. The entire stock would be exhausted within a few minutes.
‘Then my father Ramratan Singh took over the work of making Peda. In 1975 I decided to carry forward the legacy of my ancestors. Earlier, pedas were made only by hand. Seeing the increasing demand, I purchased the machines. Right now I and my son Karan Singh are handling the Peda business.
This shop of Thakur Peda in Line Bazaar of Dharwad is more than 175 years old.
2. True Mishra: Harinarayan Mishra had reached Dharwad on horse from Pratapgarh. True A family source close to the Mishra family said, ‘Harinarayan Mishra of Pratapgarh came to Dharwad in the 1920s. He was a railway contractor in the British government and used to lay tracks. He had come to Dharwad on horseback from Pratapgarh in connection with work. He liked the weather of Dharwad very much and settled here.
‘In 1933 he started making peda. Initially he made peda for family and neighbours. People started liking his trees. Gradually Harinarayan started making Peda on a large scale. His son Dwarka Prasad also got involved in the same work. Today, Sanjay Mishra, the 5th generation of his family, is carrying forward his legacy.
The progenitor of the True Mishra family is Harinarayan Mishra, who came to Dharwad in the 1920s.
3. Big Mishra: Third family of UP to make Peda in Dharwad Pandit Avadhbihari Mishra, who reached Dharwad from Pratapgarh, also entered the peda business in 1933 itself. He had opened a small shop named Dharwad Mishra Peda in Line Bazaar. No member of his family was ready to appear in front of the camera.
Awadhbihari Mishra’s grandson Sanjay Mishra says off camera, ‘I am the third generation of my family to learn the art of making peda. We have understood the customer demand for Dharwad Peda. We have launched Dharwad Peda as a brand, so that there is no confusion in the minds of customers regarding its quality. We have received a good response from people all over India.
Specialty of Dharwad Peda
Dharwad Peda is made only from buffalo milk and sugar. Dark brown colored khoya is prepared from milk. For this, milk is cooked in wooden stoves or machines running on electricity until the consistency of khoya becomes like kneaded dough.
Then small khoya leaves are made by hand. It is coated with powdered sugar for sweetness. According to Thakur and Mishra family, the texture, softness and unique taste of Peda can come only from buffalo milk.
In the Peda factory, dark brown khoya is prepared from milk through machines.
Dharwad Peda shops in many cities of Karnataka According to the Thakurs and Mishra family, till about 18 years ago, Dharwad Peda was available only in Dharwad. After getting the GI tag in 2007, the three families started selling it across Karnataka. He opened many own and franchise based shops in major cities of the state.
According to True Mishra, before 2007 he used to sell 400 kg of peda every day in Dharwad. After getting GI tag the demand for trees suddenly increased. However, without compromising on quality, he set a target of making 400 kg of peda daily.
Thakur and Big Mishra have increased their production as per the market requirement. According to the Thakur family, the demand for trees had increased significantly. To avoid supply interruption, they increased production.
Three families provided employment to thousands of people
Through the three families of UP, hundreds of people are also getting employment across Karnataka, from dairy farmers, shop and factory workers, franchisees to transporters. At present, more than 2 thousand people work for Big Mishra Peda alone. This is also giving a boost to the socio-economic development of Dharwad.
Workers making Peda in True Mishra factory located in Belur Industrial Area, about 14 km from Dharwad.
of Big Mishra family Annual turnover of Rs 150 crore Shridhar Patil, who works in the marketing and sales department of Big Mishra, said that his business in the financial year 2021-2022 was around Rs 150 crore.
Durga Prasad Singh Thakur, owner of Thakur Peda, did not disclose his earnings, but said that due to GI tag, increase in sales and production, his business has grown by 60 to 80 percent in the last 10 years.
All three families received many awards for Dharwad Peda The Thakur and Mishra families have received many awards and certificates for maintaining the legacy and quality of making peda. Since the Thakur family was the first to start making peda, they have a large number of awards and certificates. The Thakur family was given a Certificate of Merit by Lord Willington, the then Governor of Bombay, in 1913.
Thakur families received awards and certificates for Dharwad trees.
People said- Dharwad Peda is a part of our culture.
Bhagya Chavannavar of Dharwad says, ‘I have been relishing Dharwad Peda since childhood. I especially like Mishra Peda. They have maintained the quality of pedas for decades. The taste of his pedas has not changed even after so many years. The best thing is that Dharwad Peda is now easily available anywhere.
A customer named Gururaj Shoorpali said, ‘We have grown up eating Dharwad Peda. It is a part of our everyday life and culture.
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