SOYONG, OP
Odisha is traditionally an agrarian society, and the various festivals and culinary habits of the state are worth a study. The variety of cakes and other dishes that Odias prepare for every festival shows that they are a food-loving people. Odia cuisine is healthy too as it is prepared with little or no oil.
Orissa POST interacted with a few Odia women residing outside Odisha who plan to celebrate the three-day Raja festival by preparing various kinds of sweets and cakes.
Anurupa Rout, who lives in Delhi, said, “I cannot think of Raja without ‘Poda pitha,’ a cake made from rice and grated coconut. The preparation of this cake is slightly cumbersome and different from the normal baked cake. Poda pitha can be called the king of all Odia cakes. It is traditionally prepared in a clay chullah. But I bake it in an oven. Its burnt top with protruding coconut pieces, the cardamom taste in every bite, and the crunch of coconut and nuts along with caramelised jaggery is loved by all.”
Rashmita Nayak, a homemaker, lives in Bihar. She said, “Whatever be the occasion people make some ‘pitha’ in their household, and Raja is no exception. We are usually away from Odisha during the festival, so we miss the typical ‘pitha’ of this time, but we make some Raja cuisine here to celebrate the festival. My husband is fond of ‘Arisha’ and ghee cakes. The main ingredients of these cakes are rice flour and jaggery. We mix some condiments and then deep fry them to make snacks for tea time. Some of the delicacies can be stored for several days. This Raja, I will prepare some ‘Arisha pitha’.”
Jyoti Dash, who resides in New Jersey, USA, said, “Many Odia people who live here celebrate the Raja festival together. We exchange sweets and ‘pithas.’ Poda pitha is prepared at Raja time, but I love to make ‘manda pitha,’ a steamed cake like momos. We make it out of semolina stuffed with sweet filling. It’s a must-have for health conscious people. My son and husband like Odia cuisine.”
Megha , a Kolkata homemaker, said, “The three-day agrarian festival is eagerly awaited by Odia women all over the world. Varieties of ‘pithas’ are prepared. The traditional cakes prepared at this time are Poda pitha, Kakara, Manda, Arisha, and Chakuli, among others. My husband likes ‘Kakara.’ It is a wheat flour cake sweetened with jaggery, deep-fried like Arisha, and stuffed with grated coconut, black pepper, edible camphor and chhena (fresh cheese). This Raja special is a hot favourite with youngsters who love crunchy food. Apart from making Kakara, I prepare ‘Chakuli pitha,’ a pancake similar to dosa. I also fry ‘Budha chakuli’ topped with jaggery, ginger and coconut in ghee, a sweet variant for this occasion.