The Historic Connections between Taj Mahal and Petha

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The Historic Connections between Taj Mahal and Petha

Petha, or melon candy, as some like to fancily call, is a soft sweet, made out of ash gourd or white pumpkin. It is one of the many indigenous delicacies enjoyed by the Indians, particularly in the northern part of the country. But behind this very peculiar recipe of a vegetable sweet, is a royal story that is equally amusing.

Agra ka Petha has an interesting connection with the Taj Mahal. Image Source: Times Of India

Imagine you didn't know about the existence of a sweet by the name of petha. Now, If someone asked you to make a candy/sweet out of a pumpkin, you would have most likely been disgusted. Fortunately, the great Mughal emperor Shah Jahan wasn't so picky, when his chef presented a soft, translucent cubical mithai made out of a not so popular vegetable.

The sweet over time, became as popular as the Taj Mahal itself and was one of the top attractions for tourists all over India. Today, we find many other flavours of pethas, from mango to paan or chocolate petha. But the traditional variety, resembling the white marble legacy of Shah Jahan in its purest form, remains an all time favourite of a majority of the masses.

It was the 17th century, and Shahjahan was the ruler of the Mughal throne. He had lost his beloved wife and in her memory constructed the grand marble mausoleum, the Taj Mahal at Agra, which stands tall even today. The purity and the serenity which reflected off the Taj Mahal made the emperor crave for a replica, but in food this time. So, he posed a challenge to his Khansama or royal chef. He asked him to produce a sweet which was as white and shiny as the marble-clad Taj Mahal and as pure as its being.

The royal chef took a white pumpkin or ash gourd, cut it into pieces and boiled them in rose flavoured sugar syrup, in a slow coal fire. The result, as you might have guessed already, was the famous Agra ka Petha as we know and love today!