Seven summers ago I was in Odisha, dutifully fulfilling the role of the MAMU (Maternal Uncle) on the occasion of BRATAGHARA (thread wearing) ceremony of my nephew. During the evening I was tasked at taking care of the guests, guiding them to the right menu location, ensuring they ate well and well taken care of.
A gentleman approached me - PANIYARI KOUTHI ACHHI (Where is Paniyari) ? As my mind was struggling to decipher the new lexicon in Odia dictionary, some one cleared the air. He means PANEER (A Thick variety of cottage cheese) spoken in thick Odia accent (some pronounce it as Paniree too).
Poor CHHENA (the traditional Odia loose, paste like loose chunks of cottage cheese) is fast losing its customer base to the Paniyari, a la an invasive pest thrives and takes over the host. Taste wise it is hardly close to our traditional CHHENA TARKARI (Cheese curry), yet due to our inferiority complex and fascination to ape anything foreign has made Paniyari taken a firm foothold on the state's capital.
Odisha has a great array of culinary delicacies for every occasion, so listing all of them is beyond the scope of this blog. During my childhood there used to be saying -
ARISA, KAKARA AHA KI MITHA
(Arisa resembes hard doughnuts and Kakara its softer version are so sweet).
These days those traditional PITHA (cake) items are seen more sold at stores and less made in households.
The traditional Odia food is not just about sweet and delicious, being more water and less oil based, healthy too. The dishes like SANTULA, GHANTA (assorted vegetable curries) and DALMA (boiled soup like mix of lentil and veggies) are not only good for arteries, great for cleansing your colon - it can cure chronic constipation guaranteeing a bowel movement as clean as whistle.
The wide spectrum of Odia food goes above and beyond vegetarian base. MANSA KASA (Goat meat griddled in varieties of spices) is a must at most Sunday lunches, though Chicken is the new kid on the block. Endowed with long coastline, brackish water, criss crossing rivers, lakes and ponds contributes to its myriad dishes of fish, shrimp, prawn and crabs. Pandit Gopabandhu Das, a leading Odia freedom fighter and philanthropist has expressed his fetish for prawn -
HAIO CHUNGUDI KAHIN,
GHUNGUDI MARIBA KAHAKU KHAI ?
Roughly transliterated...
Hey, the prawn is not seen.
What'll make us snore in the afternoon ?
The KATAKA Mixture, a popular snack can beat any Haldiram snack by miles, but rarely available outside. It's CHHENA based sweets like RASAGOLA and CHHENA JHILLI (Sugary cheese balls), CHHENA PODA (Baked cheese cake) simply mouthwatering, melts in the mouth. I haven't encountered any sweet dish across the world which can beat these world beaters from my native state.
The eminent writer Khushwant Singh once wrote that the way the Sikhs are getting rid of their facial hair and turbans soon they would cease to be a separate identify, eventually melting with Hindus. Won't be surprised if the same fate awaits the Odias, their culture and traditions of which the food forms an integral part - facing extinction in the next quarter of century.
A gentleman approached me - PANIYARI KOUTHI ACHHI (Where is Paniyari) ? As my mind was struggling to decipher the new lexicon in Odia dictionary, some one cleared the air. He means PANEER (A Thick variety of cottage cheese) spoken in thick Odia accent (some pronounce it as Paniree too).
Poor CHHENA (the traditional Odia loose, paste like loose chunks of cottage cheese) is fast losing its customer base to the Paniyari, a la an invasive pest thrives and takes over the host. Taste wise it is hardly close to our traditional CHHENA TARKARI (Cheese curry), yet due to our inferiority complex and fascination to ape anything foreign has made Paniyari taken a firm foothold on the state's capital.
Odisha has a great array of culinary delicacies for every occasion, so listing all of them is beyond the scope of this blog. During my childhood there used to be saying -
ARISA, KAKARA AHA KI MITHA
(Arisa resembes hard doughnuts and Kakara its softer version are so sweet).
These days those traditional PITHA (cake) items are seen more sold at stores and less made in households.
The traditional Odia food is not just about sweet and delicious, being more water and less oil based, healthy too. The dishes like SANTULA, GHANTA (assorted vegetable curries) and DALMA (boiled soup like mix of lentil and veggies) are not only good for arteries, great for cleansing your colon - it can cure chronic constipation guaranteeing a bowel movement as clean as whistle.
The wide spectrum of Odia food goes above and beyond vegetarian base. MANSA KASA (Goat meat griddled in varieties of spices) is a must at most Sunday lunches, though Chicken is the new kid on the block. Endowed with long coastline, brackish water, criss crossing rivers, lakes and ponds contributes to its myriad dishes of fish, shrimp, prawn and crabs. Pandit Gopabandhu Das, a leading Odia freedom fighter and philanthropist has expressed his fetish for prawn -
HAIO CHUNGUDI KAHIN,
GHUNGUDI MARIBA KAHAKU KHAI ?
Roughly transliterated...
Hey, the prawn is not seen.
What'll make us snore in the afternoon ?
The KATAKA Mixture, a popular snack can beat any Haldiram snack by miles, but rarely available outside. It's CHHENA based sweets like RASAGOLA and CHHENA JHILLI (Sugary cheese balls), CHHENA PODA (Baked cheese cake) simply mouthwatering, melts in the mouth. I haven't encountered any sweet dish across the world which can beat these world beaters from my native state.
The eminent writer Khushwant Singh once wrote that the way the Sikhs are getting rid of their facial hair and turbans soon they would cease to be a separate identify, eventually melting with Hindus. Won't be surprised if the same fate awaits the Odias, their culture and traditions of which the food forms an integral part - facing extinction in the next quarter of century.
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