Udupi connection to Mahabharata

There is an interesting story related to Udupi which dates back to Mahabharata. It also explains why people of Udupi are good in catering business. Before Mahabharata war, all states took sides, either of Pandavas or Kauravas. Only one chose to remain neutral – the king of Udupi and Udupi cuisine is quite popular .

Udupi king said to Krishna, “Everyone is going to fight. Those who fight a battle have to eat. I will be the caterer for the Kurukshetra war.” Krishna said, “Fine. Someone has to cook and serve, so you do it.” The Udupi king was serving food for both sides.

People were amazed how he managed to cook the exact amount of food, because no one knew how many people died on each day. By the time they took accounts, it would have been too late. Definitely, the king did not know how many people died on that day, but every day, he cooked exactly the amount of food that was necessary for the remaining soldiers.

When someone him king how he managed this, he said, “Every day in the night, Krishna likes to eat boiled peanuts. I peel them and keep them in a bowl. He eats just a few peanuts, and after he is done, I count to see how many he has eaten. If he has eaten 10 peanuts, I know tomorrow 10,000 will die, so I cook tomorrow’s food for 10,000 people less. Every day, I count these peanuts and cook accordingly, so it turns out right.” This was the reason Udupi was able to serve the soldiers correctly.