5 Beloved Indian Foods That Were Invented Accidentally

Have you ever wondered that the items we are eating today were never meant to exist, but were failures or accidents that led to the dishes we enjoy today? A good accident, some would say. Born from chance and loved by millions of people. From Locho to butter chicken, take a closer look at these desserts and dishes that were a total mishap while cooking.

Foods That Were Invented By Mistake

1. Locho

A savoury Gujarati snack: steamed besan cake. It originated in Surat, Gujarat. Locho’s translation in Gujarati literally is ‘mistake’. The original story behind the making of this delicious side dish was that a local vendor was making a khaman dhokla, and he realised that his batter was not quite right and exclaimed, “Arre aa tho locho thai gayo,” which means “oh no, this has been a mistake”. But he decided to show his creativity, and to hide his mistake, he served the dish with green chutney, sev, onion, masala, and butter, and the customer liked the dish as well.  

2. Chenna poda

Chenna poda means ‘roasted cheese’ in Odia and originated in Dasapalla, Odisha. India’s own cheesecake, which is made with a base of chenna and cottage cheese. Curdled milk was famous in Odisha and West Bengal among the sweet makers. It is believed that one fine day, a sweet maker named Sudarshan Sahu forgot his chenna was cooking and, after coming back, found that the bottom of the chenna was burnt. He still tried it out and found the taste very different, unique, and delicious. This is how a chenna poda was made.

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3. Butter chicken

A northern Indian dish in which the key ingredients used are chicken, gravy, and garnishing touches. The dish was made by three refugees in Peshawar. They used leftover tandoori chicken with cream and butter for a rich, tangy, and spicy flavour. This improvisation made the most famous Indian dish in the world. A dish loved by millions was actually a trial and error by the refugees. 

4. Paneer

Paneer, which can be found in every Indian household, was created by a total mistake. Legends say that paneer was discovered by Mongols during a long journey. They were carrying milk in bags that were made of rawhide; the desert heat and rennet of leather combined to make a chemical reaction that turned the milk into paneer. The Mughals brought the paneer to India, and it was used in households with different spices and enjoyed by people.

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5. Mysore Pak

Mysore Pak, also known as Nalapaka, was made by a royal chef, Madappa. It is made of besan, ghee, sugar, and cardamom. The king of Mysore, Krishna Raja, requested his chef to make a different and unique dessert. However, Madappa wanted to make a dessert with little liquid consistency, but it cooled down into a silky fudge texture. The king liked the dessert and asked for its name, to which the chef replied, ‘Mysore Pak’.

This is how some of your favourite food items were invented. It is interesting how these dishes were never meant to exist but are famous and are consumed by most of the people in India and loved worldwide. 

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