Food and cuisine of Orissa

Orissa is state which has a treasure of rich culture and tradition. Food is an important and integral part of various traditions and has cultural significance in the life of the people of Orissa. The food and cuisine of Orissa has a striking resemblance with that of some of its neighboring states like West Bengal and Bihar but certainly also has a few unique features of its own.

Delicacies from the Oriya cuisine
The Oriya cuisine has a lot to offer in terms of mouth watering delicacies both from the vegetarian and non-vegetarian categories. Fish, prawns and crabs are important part of Oriya cuisines and delicacies made of these are relished all over the state. Similarly various vegetarian delicacies with elaborate preparation method are very popular in Orissa.

Rice and Vegetarian delicacies
Rice is the major fodder crop of the state of Orissa. At the same time various vegetables are grown in abundant quantity. Both rice and vegetables are an important part of a traditional "Oriya Thali"and are important part of diet of the people of Orissa. 'Pancha-phutana' is a combination of five important spices like mustard, cumin, fennel, fenugreek and black cumin which is extensively used in the Oriya cuisine especially as a seasoning agent for the preparation of vegetable dishes and dals.

Apart from various rice and vegetable preparation the people of Orissa also have a liking for various types of non-vegetarian delicacies. Non-veg food especially numerous types of fishes, prawns, crabs, lobsters etc form an important part of Oriya cuisines.

Curd- an important part of Oriya cuisine
Oriya cuisine dishes out food which is healthy as they are prepared by the use of very less oil. But one would love Oriya food as they have high quantity of spices making them highly tasty to eat. Curd with coconut milk is extensively used in the preparation of a lot of Oriya food and are helpful in enhancing the flavor and taste of food. Curd is used in various non-veg preparation like fish and seafood dishes. Apart from this curd is used in various vegetarian preparation to enhance the flavor and taste of a dish.

Delightful sweet dishes
Sweet dishes have an important place in Oriya cuisine and people of Orissa are really fond of sweets. Various Oriya desserts like Rasgulla, Rasmalai, Khirmohan, Rasabali, Kalakand, Chhenapodapitha etc are extremely popular sweets not only for the natives of Orissa but also for tourists coming to this beautiful state.

Snacks
The most popular snacks of Orissa are Pitha. Pitha are made of rice and powdered gram. The various pithas made in Orissa are chakuli, kakara, monda etc. The preparation of a good pitha requires skill and expertise and these are delicious to eat and extremely popular dish of this region.

Food and cuisine of Orissa

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