Mathura Khoya Peda Milk Sweet Uttar Pradesh

Mathura Peda is a GI-tagged milk sweet from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, considered one of the most celebrated temple prasad sweets of India, inseparably linked to the Krishna pilgrimage city and its tradition of dairy devotion. The peda is made from khoya (milk solids reduced by simmering full-fat cow or buffalo milk to a thick, nearly dry consistency), flavoured with cardamom and saffron, and shaped into flat round discs. Unlike many peda, Mathura Peda uses a semi-dry khoya that crumbles slightly at the edges — a texture achieved by the particular reduction time and stirring technique of Mathura's hereditary halwai families. The peda is sold fresh in the lanes around the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple and Dwarkadheesh temple in dozens of halwai shops that have operated for generations. Mathura Peda received a GI tag and is among the best-selling religious food souvenirs in north India. Pilgrims take kilos of peda home from Mathura after yatra (pilgrimage). The UP government promotes Mathura Peda through ODOP (One District One Product) programme. The milk for Mathura Peda is traditionally sourced from the Braj region's famous Govardhan cow belt, known for Gir and Sahiwal cow herds kept by gopala (cowherd) communities.