Flavours of Odisha

The history of food is entwined with lores, legends and myths of Odisha – the mahaprasad of the Puri Jagannath temple being a fine example. Jagannatha or Lord Krishna, to whom the temple is dedicated, is treated to 56 different dishes he adores. This lavish 'nivedyam' or offering is perhaps the most renowned prasadam offered in any temple in India and it's also been reported that the temple kitchen is one of the largest in the land. Close to 600 cooks work every day in the sprawling kitchens to get the mid-day meal and other servings ready in time for the countless devotees who come to the temple every day.

This fact would vouch for the reality of Odisha's great culinary expertise. The Odisha kitchen is a mine of traditional tastes. Lying in close proximity to South India and West Bengal, the state's food has the strong flavour of these ingredients … mustard, black cumin seeds, and tamarind, both borrowed and integrated into mainstream Odisha cuisine.

While mustard and black cumin are unmistakably Bengali, the tamarind part is redolent of Andhra cuisine. Curries flavoured with tamarind are an Odisha special dining delicacy. Apart from its special masalas and oils, Odishiites love sweet savouries with cheese and milk. People here avoid strong masalas and oil is seldom a must in curries. The oil use is cut to the minimum in certain curries. What's predominant is a sweet twang. Bananas, jackfruits, and papayas are lavishly used in curries. Thick curd is a must. What's common to Kerala and Odisha is the traditional style of serving food in plantain leaves. Odisha's signature masala 'pancho futhana' – a ground paste of aniseed, black cumin, methi, cumin and mustard – is lavishly used in almost all dishes.

Odishiites use a lot of chutneys and they come in a variety of flavours. The dahi baingan, which is actually fried brinjal mixed in thick, set curd, and the extremely popular khajur khatta, a chutney made with tomatoes and dates are examples of traditionally popular dishes. Talking of fish, the leaning is towards freshwater fish and prawns and the dishes they turn out with these are delicious, to say the least.