Cuisine of Odisha

Part of a series on the
Culture of Odisha
History
History Maritime history List of rulers Historic sites
Culture
People Oriya people Tribes Festivals Oriya Hindu wedding Languages Oriya Kosli Cuisine Arts Odissi Oriya Literature Cinema
Odisha portal

This article is part of the series
Indian cuisine
Regional cuisines North India Awadhi Bhojpuri Punjabi Kumauni Mughlai Kashmiri Rajasthani Uttar Pradeshi Bihari South India Main article Telugu Karnataka Kerala Tamil Hyderabadi Udupi Mangalorean Saraswat Mangalorean Catholic East/ North East India Bengali Assamese Meghalayan Manipuri Naga Sikkimese Tripuri Arunachalese Oriya West India Goan Gujarati Marathi Malvani & Konkani Sindhi Parsi Other Indian Chinese Nepali Jain (Satvika) Anglo-Indian Chettinad Fast food Malaysian Indian cuisine Indian Singaporean cuisine
Ingredients / types of food Main dishes Desserts Bread Drinks Snack foods Spices Condiments
Preparation and cooking Handi Karahi Tava Tandoor Uruli Other
See also History Etiquette Indian chefs Cookbook: Cuisine of India
Related cuisines Nepalese cuisine Sri Lankan cuisine Bangladeshi cuisine Pakistani cuisine Bhutanese cuisine Tibetan cuisine Afghani cuisine
India portal Food portal

Compared to other regional Indian cuisines, Oriya cuisine used relatively less oil and is less spicy but of great taste.^[1][2] Rice is the staple food of this region. Mustard oil is used in several dishes as the cooking medium, but ghee is preferred in temples.^[2] Food is traditionally served on disposable plates made of sal leaves.^[3] Only about 5% of the population is vegetarian.^[4]

Oriya cooks, particular from the Puri region, were much sought after due to their ability to cook food in accordance to the Hindu scriptures. During the 19th century, many Oriya cooks were employed in Bengal and they took several dishes with them.^[4] Yoghurt is also used in various dishes. Many sweets of the region are based on Chhena (cheese).^[5] The period saw a heavy demand of the Brahmin cooks, leading many Oriya cooks to fake their castes.^[6]

Ingredients and seasoning

The ingredients used in Oriya cuisine typical to the region are plantains, jackfruit, and papaya. The curries are also garnished with dried raw mango (ambula) and tamarind. Coconut is also used in several dishes.^[7] Panch phutana is a blend of five spices which is widely used in Oriya cuisine. It contains mustard, cumin, fenugreek, aniseed and kalonji. Garlic and onion are also used, but is avoided in temple regions. Turmeric and red chillies are also commonly used.^[2]

Local variation

The food in the region around Puri-Cuttack is greatly influenced by the Jagannath Temple. On the other hand, kalonji and mustard paste is used mostly in the region bordering Bengal and curries tend to be sweeter. In the region closer to Andhra Pradesh, curry tree leaves and tamarind are used more.^[2] The Brahmapur region has influences of South Indian cuisine and the Telugu people living there have also invented new Oriya dishes.^[8]

Temple food

Various temples in region make their own offerings to the presiding deities. The prasada of the Jagannath Temple is well known and is specifically called "MAHA PRASADA" meaning greatest of all prasadas. It consists of 56 recipes, so it called chhapan bhoga. It is based on the legend that Krishna missed his 8 meals for 7 days while trying to save a village from a storm holding up the Govardhan hill as a shelter.^[5]

Fish and sea food

Fish and other sea foods are eaten in mainly coastal areas. Several curries are prepared from prawn and lobster with spices.^[2][9] Freshwater fish is also available from rivers and irrigation canals.^[4]

List of dishes

Rice dishes and rotis

• Pakhala: It is a rice dish made by adding water to cooked rice. It may then be allowed to ferment overnight, this is called basi pakhala. The unfermented version is called saja pakhala. It is served with green chillies, onions, yoghurt, badi etc. It is primarily eaten in summer.^[10][11]
• Khechadi: A rice dish cooked with lentils.^[12][13] It is the Oriya version of khichdi.^[14]
• Palau: A rice dish made from vegetables and raisins. It is the Oriya version of pilaf.^[15][16]
• Kanika: A sweet rice dish, garnished with raisins and nuts.^[11][17]
• Ghee Rice: A rice dish, fried with ghee and cinnamon

Dals and curries

• Dalma: A dish made from dal and vegetables.^[18] It is generally made from toor dal and contains chopped vegetables like green papaya, unripe banana, eggplant, pumpkin, gourd etc. It is garnished with turmeric, mustard seeds, and panch phutana. There are several variations of this dish.^[4]

• Santula: A dish finely chopped vegetables which are sauteed with garlic, green chillies, mustard and various spices. It has several variations.^[4][11]

• Chaatu Rai: A dish made from mushrooms and mustard.^[18]

• Aloo Potalo Roso: Curry made from potato and parval.^[12]

• Kadali Manja Rai: A curry made from banana plant stem and mustard seeds. Manja refers to the stem which can also be used in dalma.^[11][19][20]

Khattas and chutneys

Khatta refers to a type of sour side dish or chutney usually served with Oriya thalis.^[21]

• Dahi Baigana: A sour dish made from dahi and egg plants.^[11][15]
• Khajuri Khatta: A sweet and sour dish made from tomato and dates.^[11][22][23]
• Amba Khatta: A khatta made from raw mangoes.^[24]
• Ouu Khatta: Elephant apple khatta^[4]
• Dhania-Patra Chutney: A chutney made from coriander leaves.^[25]

Saaga (salad greens)

Oriyas typically eat loads of cooked green leaves of various types. They are prepared by adding "pancha phutana", with or without onion/garlic and are best enjoyed with pakhala. One of the most popular saaga is Lali Koshala Saaga- which have green leaves with red stems. Other saagas that are eaten are pita gahama, khada, poi, koshala, sajana etc.

• Saaga bhaja^[11]
• Kosala saaga bhaja^[12]
• Saga baadi^[21]

Pithas (country cakes)

Pithas are a type of traditional Oriya dishes.^[26][27]

• Poda pitha^[26]
• Enduri pitha
• Chitau pitha
• Arisa pitha
• Kakara pitha
• Manda pitha
• Parijata pitha
• Nurukhurum pitha

Fish and other sea food

• Maccha Besara: A fish curry prepared with mustard paste.^[11][28]
• Machha Mahura: A curry prepared with fish and various vegetables.^[11][29]
• Machha charchari: Small fried fishes^[12]
• Machha besara: Freshwater fish cooked with spices.^[12]
• Chungdi malai tarkari: A prawn curry.^[12]
• Kankada jhola: Crab curry.^[12]
• Machha chhencheda^[11]
• Chingudi Chadchadi
• Chhinchada

Chicken and chevon

• Manso tarkari: Chevon and potato curry.^[12]
• Kukuda kassa^[24]
• Manso kassa^[13]

Fritters and fries

• Aloo piaji^[30]
• Bhindi bhaigan bhaja^[12]

Snacks

• Ghugni: A spicy dish made from peas, can be served with pooris.^[30][31]
• Gupchup^[32]

Desserts and sweets

• Kheeri: Kheeri is the Oriya word for kheer.^[13][33]
• Chhena Poda: A sweet made from soft cheese dipped in sugar syrup and baked. It may also contain dry fruits.^[2]
• Chhena Gaja^[24]
• Malpua^[30]
• Kora^[4]
• Kheera sagara^[30]
• Chhenna jilabi^[12]
• Chhena Jhili^[21]
• Rasagolla: The sweet was invented in the city of Puri to appease the deity Mahalaxmi about 300 years. However, the Bengali people claim that it was invented in the nineteenth century by a Calcutta sweetmaker.^[4][34]
• Gulab jamun^[5][34]
• Rasabali^[12][21]
• Rasamalai^[34]
• Aadasi

References

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cuisine of Orissa.

• Bijoylaxmi Hota; Kabita Pattanaik (2007). Healthy Oriya Cuisine. Rupa & Company. ISBN 978-81-291-1118-0. 
• Sujata Patnaik; Ranjita Patnaik. Classic Cooking of Orissa. Allied Publishers. ISBN 978-81-8424-584-4. 
• Laxmi Parida (1 April 2003). Purba: Feasts from the East: Oriya Cuisine from Eastern India. iUniverse. ISBN 978-0-595-26749-1. 

State of Odisha Capital: Bhubaneswar Governance Governors Chief Ministers Legislative Assembly Political parties Raj Bhavan High Court Police Topics Arts Cinema Cuisine Culture Economy Education Elections Flora and Fauna Geography History Historic sites Rulers Language Alphabet Literature Morphology People Politics Tourism Districts Angul Balasore Bargarh Bhadrak Balangir Boudh Cuttack Debagarh Dhenkanal Gajapati Ganjam Jagatsinghpur Jajpur Jharsuguda Kalahandi Kandhamal Kendrapara Kendujhar Khordha Koraput Malkangiri Mayurbhanj Nabarangpur Nayagarh Nuapada Puri Rayagada Sambalpur Subarnapur Sundargarh Cities Angul Balasore Barbil Bargarh Baripada Bhadrak Bhubaneswar Brahmapur Cuttack Dhenkanal Jajpur Jharsuguda Puri Rourkela Sambalpur Odisha portal