Odia love food, owing the importance of
it in the religious culture of the state. Odia cuisine is very simple yet
delicious, prepared in little or no oil which gives out the flavors of the
spices that are sparingly used themselves.The spread is vast and is very easy
on the palate. Temple Food Food of the Masses Sweet Relics
Temples
were the epicenter of socio cultural activities in ancient Odisha. The social
customs, festivals were all centered around it. Many of the recipes of Odia
cuisine originated from the temples, the most talked about being the Kheera
Mohana popularly known as Rasagulla.
The temple cuisine comprises of
indigenously grown local cereals and vegetables, cooked in traditional methods
using wood charcoal and earthen pots. The recipe is passed on from generations.
The food is simple yet tastes heavenly and is much sought after.
Two
of the most popular temple cuisine in the state are:-
The offering to Lord Jagannath, Puri
known as the Mahaprasad is coveted by an Odia. The Mahaprasad is cooked in a
unique way. Earthen pots are kept on top of the other over the burner. The pot
at the top cooks first.
According to Hindu mythology Lord Vishnu
meditates in Badrinath, gets dressed at Dwarka, has his lunch at Puri and
retires for the night at Rameswaram. Need we say more!
Dalma
- The wholesome food of Odisha
Pakhala- The coolest food of Odisha
Pakhala is essentially rice which is
fermented overnight with water and consumed with an accompaniment of fried
vegetables and fish. Pakhala is the food for an Odia especially during the
summers. The food is known to be a preventive for heat stroke- which is quite
prevalent in the region during the summers and some researchers opine that it’s
the only food which has vitamins for the nerve cells.Having Pakhala by spoon is
akin to having chowmein by hand!
Pitha is essentially cereal based
steamed cake. It’s the food for any occasion from the perspective of an Odia
household. The dish has many variants and much sought after amongst them are
ChakuliPitha, PodaPitha, Monda, etc.
Chakuli
Pitha
The popular variant is prepared by
grinding black gram cereal and leaving the batter to ferment for some time,
then it’s thinly spread in a pan and fried with minimum oil till it’s crispy.
Poda
Pitha
Usually coveted for its rich texture and
taste. The fermented rice batter covered with sal leaves is slow cooked in an
earthen pot which adds to its aroma. It’s usually prepared during festivals
like raja.
Sijha
Manda
Boiled rice dumplings with filling made
of grated coconut, jaggery is a popular dish during major festivals of Odisha
and is very easy to make which adds to its popularity.
Enduri
Pitha
The aroma of turmeric leave and the
jaggery-coconut filling make it extremely delicious. This is the most essential
item of ‘Prathamastami’.
Kakara
Pitha
The fried sweet fritter prepared with
semolina, grated coconut and cardamom is another popular variant of the Pitha.
Odia’s do have a pronounced sweet tooth
and just like the cuisine the sweet dishes are unique and each region of the
state has its own typical sweet dish. The other interesting aspect is that
Cottage cheese is the main ingredient of almost all our sweets. We list a few
typical sweet dishes of Odisha.
Rasagulla
The sweet which melts the gods. Known in
ancient Odisha as Kheera Mohana, it is one of Lord Jagannath’s favourite sweet.
During the ritual Niladri Bije – When the Lord returns to the temple after the
Chariot Festival, he woos his consort Goddess Lakshmi with a bowl of Rasagulla.
The dish is made from Cottage Cheese which are rolled into round shape by hand
and boiled in sugar syrup.
Chennapoda
The quintessential sweet dish of Odisha.
A very popular sweet dish of Odisha, chennapoda is prepared when cottage cheese
is mixed with sugar and put in a bowl to give it the round shape. Then it’s
baked in an earthen oven covered with sal leaves. The burnt upper layer gives
it that typical smoky flavour and adds to its taste.
Chenna
Jhili
One is never enough. Typical to Nimapada
a quaint town located 39KM from Puri, Chenna Jhili is essentially Jalebi made
out of Cottage Cheese. What makes the sweet alluring is the sugar quotient,
which doesn’t bind the mouth.
Korakhai
Crunchy and Tangy. Korakhai which is
carmalised ‘lia’ is the favourite of Lord Lingaraja. The crunchy sweet is
prepared by an exclusive group of confectioners for the Lord in Old Town of
Bhubaneswar. They follow the centuries old process which adds to its distinct
flavour and taste.
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