Cuisine of Odisha facts for kids
Odia cuisine is the yummy food from the Indian state of Odisha. It's known for being tasty but using less oil and spices than some other Indian foods. Rice is the main food people eat here. Sometimes, Mustard oil is used for cooking. But in temples, people prefer ghee (which is made from cow's milk). Long ago, food was often served on special plates made of sal leaves or copper.
Odia cooks, especially from the Puri area, were very famous. They could cook food exactly as ancient Hindu books described. In the 1800s, many Odia cooks went to Bengal. They took many delicious Odia dishes with them.
Yoghurt is often used in Odia dishes. Also, many sweets from Odisha are made from chhena, which is a type of fresh cheese.
Contents
What Goes Into Odia Food?
Main Ingredients and Spices
Rice and wheat are big crops in Odisha. Lentils like pigeon peas and moong beans are also very important.
Local vegetables used in Odia cooking include pumpkin, gourds, plantains, jackfruit, and papaya. Other common vegetables like potatoes, cauliflowers, and cabbages are also used.
Pancha phutana is a special mix of five spices. It's used a lot in Odia food. This mix has mustard, cumin, fenugreek, aniseed, and kalonji (onion seeds). Garlic, onion, and ginger are in most dishes. Turmeric and jaggery (a type of unrefined sugar) are also used regularly.
How Food Changes Across Odisha
Regional Flavors and Influences
The food around Puri and Cuttack is very much shaped by the famous Jagannath Temple. In most parts of the state, kalonji and mustard paste are used often.
Closer to Andhra Pradesh, people use more curry tree leaves and tamarind. The food in the Brahmapur area even has some influences from South Indian cuisine.
Temple Food: A Special Offering
Temples in Odisha prepare special food offerings for their gods. The prasada (blessed food) from the Jagannath Temple is very famous. It's called Maha Prasad, meaning the greatest of all blessed foods.
This Maha Prasad includes 56 different dishes! That's why it's also called chhapan bhoga, meaning "56 offerings." This tradition comes from a story about Krishna. He once missed his eight meals for seven days while holding up the Govardhan hill to protect a village from a storm.
Fish and Seafood Delights
Coastal Cuisine
People living near the coast enjoy a lot of fish and other seafood. Many delicious curries are made with crab, prawns, and lobster, full of spices. Freshwater fish are also caught from rivers and irrigation canals.
Popular Odia Dishes
Rice Dishes and Flatbreads
- Pakhala: This is a rice dish made by adding water and curd to cooked rice. Sometimes, it's left overnight to ferment, which is called basi pakhala. The fresh version is saja pakhala. It's often eaten with green chillies, onions, and yoghurt. It's a favorite in summer.
- Khechidi: This is a rice dish cooked with lentils, similar to the well-known khichdi.
- Palau: This rice dish includes meat, vegetables, and raisins. It's the Odia version of pilaf.
- Kanika: A sweet rice dish, often decorated with raisins and nuts.
Lentil Dishes (Dal)
- Dalma: A healthy dish made from dal (lentils) and vegetables. It usually uses toor dal and has chopped vegetables like green papaya, plantain, eggplant, pumpkin, and gourd. It's seasoned with turmeric, mustard seeds, and panch phutana.
- Dali: This is a general term for dishes made from different types of lentils, such as tur, horse gram, chana, masur, or mung.
Flavorful Curries
- Santula: A dish of finely chopped vegetables. They are lightly cooked with garlic, green chilies, mustard, and other spices.
- Ghugni: A popular street food made from peas and potatoes. It's often eaten with bara in Puri and Cuttack.
- Chaatu rai: A curry made with mushrooms and mustard.
- Alu potol rasa: A curry made from potato and pointed gourds.
- Besar: Various vegetables cooked in a mustard paste, seasoned with pancha phutan.
Sour Sides (Khattas) and Chutneys
Khatta is a type of sour side dish or chutney often served with Odia meals.
- Dahi baigana: A sour dish made from yoghurt and eggplants.
- Khajuri khata: A sweet and sour dish made from tomato and dates.
- Amba khatta: A khatta made from raw mangoes.
- Tomato khata: A sweet and sour dish made from tomato and jaggery.
- Dhania-patra chutney: A chutney made from fresh coriander leaves.
Green Leafy Vegetables (Shaag)
In Odia cooking, sāga refers to important leafy green vegetables. They are popular everywhere. Odias love to eat many cooked green leaves. They are usually prepared by adding "pancha phutan" and are great with pakhala.
- Kosalā/Khadā sāga: Made from amaranth leaves.
- Pālanga sāga: This is spinach.
- Poi sāga: Made from basella leaves and soft stems.
- Bāramāsi/Sajanā sāga: Made from the leaves of the drumstick tree.
Sweet Cakes (Pithas)
Pithas are traditional Odia sweet cakes.
- Podo pitha
- Enduri Pitha
- Arisa Pitha
- Kakara Pitha
- Manda Pitha
- Chakuli Pitha
Egg, Chicken, and Mutton Dishes
- Anda tarkari: An egg curry made with onion and tomato paste.
- Chicken tarkari: A chicken curry.
- Mangsaw tarkari: A mutton (goat meat) curry.
- Baunsaw Poda Mangsaw: Mutton or chicken cooked inside bamboo.
- Mati Handi Mangsaw: Mutton or chicken cooked in clay pots.
Fish and Other Seafood Curries
- Machha Jhola: A common fish curry.
- Chingudi Malai Tarkari: A creamy prawn curry.
- Kankada Jhola: Crab curry.
- Chunna Machha Tarkari: Small fried smelt fishes.
Crispy Fritters and Fries
- Alloo piaji: A savory snack like a fritter, made with sliced potatoes and onions dipped in a gram-flour batter and deep-fried.
- Bhendi baigana bhaja: Sliced okra (ladies' fingers) and eggplant, deep-fried.
- Badi Chura: A crushed mix of sun-dried lentil dumplings (Badi), onion, garlic, green chillies, and mustard oil.
- Pampad: A thin, crispy, savory snack, often eaten as an appetizer.
Snacks for Any Time
- Ghugni: A spicy pea dish, sometimes served with pooris.
- Gupchup: Small, crispy, hollow balls filled with spiced water and other ingredients.
- Chaat: A variety of savory snacks, often with a mix of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors.
- Dahibara Aludam: A popular street food combining soft lentil fritters soaked in yogurt with a spicy potato curry.
- Chanachura or Baramaza: A crunchy mix of fried noodles, nuts, and spices.
- Bara: Savory fried lentil fritters.
- Aloo chop: Potato patties, often spiced and fried.
- Singada (samosa): A fried pastry with a savory filling, often potatoes and peas.
Sweet Treats and Desserts
- Kheeri: This is the Odia name for kheer, a sweet pudding usually made with rice and milk.
- Chhena Poda: A famous sweet made from soft cheese baked until golden. It's often called "Odisha's cheesecake."
- Chhena Gaja: A sweet made from fresh cheese, fried, and then soaked in sugar syrup.
- Malpua: Sweet pancakes, often soaked in syrup.
- Khira sagara: A sweet made from cheese balls in thick, sweet milk.
- Rasagola: Soft, spongy cheese balls soaked in light sugar syrup.
- Rasabali: Fried cheese patties soaked in sweet milk.
- Rasmalai: Soft cheese patties soaked in creamy, sweet milk.
Refreshing Drinks
Odisha has many traditional drinks. Some are made for special festivals or as offerings. Others are enjoyed all year. Thicker drinks are called paṇa, and watery ones are called sarbat.
Non-Alcoholic Drinks
- Adhara paṇa: A special milk and chhena-based drink offered to the gods at the Jagannath Temple after the Ratha Yatra festival.
- Amba paṇa: A refreshing mango-based drink, popular in summer.
- Bela paṇa: A drink made from wood or stone apple fruit, especially during the Pana Sankranti festival.
- Dahi pudina sarbat: A summer drink made with curd (yogurt) and mint leaves.
- Ghola dahi: Buttermilk with spices.
- Lemonade: A simple summer drink made from water, lemon, sugar, and salt.
- Mandia peja: A healthy millet-based summer drink.
- Tanka toraṇi: A rice-water based drink prepared at the Jagannath Temple.
