The Invention of Gadbad Ice Cream

- July 12, 2023


By Sinchana Shetty 

During the summer season, when the craving for ice cream is higher than the temperature, some go for the classic Gadbad Ice Cream. Popularised in Mangalore, packaged versions of this ice cream can now be found in every store. But do you know how this iconic ice cream came to be?

Illustration: Anjali Narendra

It all started in 1962, when Mohandas Pai of Diana Hotel in Udupi, was visited by a group of customers who demanded different flavours of ice creams. But the hotel only had limited flavours. So Mr Pai, in a moment of genius, added all the flavours available in a glass and garnished it with nuts, syrup and jelly. The customers who tasted it, devoured it. When asked what the name of this dessert was, Mr. Pai said that it was to be called gadbad, the Kannada word meaning ‘in a hurry’.

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