Why everyone is mad about Madugula halwa

Visakhapatnam: Madugula would have been written off as nondescript village but for a sweet delicacy that made it famous far and wide. Thanks to the enterprising youngster who cooked up a recipe which has survived the test of time for over 127 years. The secret formula to the Madugula halwa was created by Dangeti Dharma Rao decades before Col Sanders got his KFC chicken popular.

Currently, the fourth generation of halwa creator Dharma Rao are keeping this legacy going building up a loyal clientele base. Since orders come far and wide, the new generation Madugula family, Dangeti Mohan Rao, his keeping his customers lap up the delicious sweet. The sweet is made of wheat milk, sugar, generous sprinkling of cashew and a flavour of cardamom makes the sweet distinct. There is no secret to the formula, but the intellectual of the process is.

This is evident that many look-alike shops of Madugula halwa have sprung up but could not keep up the quality and distinct taste of Dangeti’s sweet. The halwa has a shelf-life of 10 days without refrigeration. Old-timers swear that the halwa has not changed over the years.

Keeping with the times, Mohan Rao is keeping the halwa reach his customers. “Even after unbeaten 127 years, there is no change in our recipe. It is Dangeti family brand. Though we are facing several challenges and despite the stiff competition, my family is not compromising in taste and quality,” said great grandson of Dharma Rao.

It is difficult for sweet-lover to visit Madugula, which is 75 km away from Visakhapatnam. Keeping this in view, Mohan Rao has bought a vehicle to deliver halwa to other places. “We have a large number of customers across the state and also Telugus in other states too.

We are sending the sweet to other district by our own vehicle,” great grandson of Dangeti Dharma Rao D Mohan Rao. Two variations of the halwa are made which decides the cost. Halwa made with ghee costs Rs 400 a kg while the one made with vanaspati Rs 200 a kg.

To reach out to customers in other states, Dangeti family makes arrangement to reach their sweet for their special occasions like wedding ceremonies. Recently, Mohan Rao also started online sales of halwa for the benefit of NRIs. Now, adding some more attractions, Mohan Rao is making halwa cakes in the shapes of heart, love symbol and some more popular emoticons.

It all began with humble setup in a thatched house in 1889, when Dangeti Dharma Rao, who was inspired by a visiting Rajasthani sweet-maker, experimented with various combinations. It took one year to hit upon the halwa, which became a brand now. During his initial days, Dharma Rao distributed samples free of cost to make it popular.

With the word spread by satisfied customers, Madugula halwa became a big hit in Visakhapatnam and elsewhere over the years.

With people visiting Madugula have a request from their near and dear ones get the sweet for them. This is making the Madugula main bus stand has a halwa junction. Growing popularity of halwa has inspired other families to jump the bandwagon. Now, nearly 10 shops are selling the sweet, but Dangeti family shop is still the leader.