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Who can say no to a scoop of ice cream on a hot summer day? We surely can't. In fact, I have a very sweet memory linked to ice cream too which is very close to my heart. As kids, we would visit my maternal grandmother’s house for summer vacations. All my cousins would get together and we would have a blast. One mandatory ritual that we created out of nowhere was to visit a nearby shopping complex in the vicinity and after shopping, have ice cream. Now this was not any other ordinary ice cream. It was called banana split, I’m sure you would have heard of it if not tasted it. All of us kids would actually bear the scorching summer heat, strolling along with our mothers in the market only to relish this heavenly sundae at the end of the day. Layered with a banana on base, three different scoops of ice cream were placed on it and finished off with chopped nuts and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Oh, what a marvelous creation!
Recently, I came across an interestingly-named dessert which reminded me of this memory. Gadbad ice cream, it is. Why is it named so? You’ll find out soon.
The Two Tales Of One Gadbad
Now, the ice cream dessert is a Mangalorean creation and there are two stories to its credit. The first one goes like this. There was a customer who ordered ice cream at Diana restaurant in Udupi, Karnataka. Dissatisfied with the order he received, the server became the victim of his rage. Returning with a sulking face to the kitchen, the chef almost immediately dumped the ice cream flavours in his sight at that time, together and sprinkled some chopped nuts and jelly on it. This impulsive action turned out to be a hit with the customer and as they say, the rest is history.
Another side of the coin tells us that it was the founder of the Diana restaurant, Mr. Mohandas Pai. When a group of customers asked for ice cream and he realized that they had run out of flavours, he filled a tub with all the remaining flavours and added sauce, nuts etc. to it and served it to them. Apprehensive about their reactions, he was amazed when they returned to ask for more.
Why Was It Named Gadbad?
Well, etymologically speaking, the word Gadbad comes from the Kannada word, gadibadi. This refers to mayhem or confusion. Since the situation in which the ice cream was prepared was one of chaos, the name Gadbad stuck to it and was added to the dessert menu of the restaurant.
If you’re craving some ice cream now, we don’t blame you. Here is a nutty fruit ice cream you would like.
