Orissa, the land of Lord Jagannath has the largest kitchen on the earth,with a thousand chefs, working around 752 wood-burning clay hearths called chulas, to feed over 100,000 people each day. Every day 56 varieties of prasada are offered to Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity and as much as the food is delicious, it is also interesting to watch the way it is cooked. The smoke-filled kitchens have woodfire sigdis that cook the bhog in earthen vessels that are topped one over the other. These earthen vessels, known as kuduas, hold rice, vegetable curry, and dalma (lentils) that are pure vegetarian and simply delicious.
Orissa has a culinary tradition spanning centuries if not millennia.In fact, some well-known recipes, usually credited to Bengal, are of Orissan origin. This is because during the Bengal renaissance, brahmin cooks from Orissa, especially from Puri, were routinely employed in richer Bengali households. They were famed for their culinary skills and commonly referred to as Ude Thakurs (Oriya chefs). As a result, many Oriya delicacies got incorporated into the Bengali kitchen.Rasagolla, one of the most popular desserts in India, is in fact an Oriya invention. It had been enjoyed in Orissa for centuries . The well-known rice pudding, kheeri (kheer) that is relished all over India, also originated in Puri two thousand years ago.
The flavors are usually subtle and delicately spiced, quite unlike the fiery curries typically associated with Indian cuisine. Fish and other seafood such as crab and shrimp are very popular. Chicken and mutton are also consumed. Only 6% of the population of Orissa is vegetarian, and this is reflected in its cuisine. Panch phutana & saga bhaja, a mix of cumin, mustard, fennel, fenugreek and kalonji (nigella) is widely used for tempering vegetables and dals, while garam masala (curry powder) and haladi (turmeric) are commonly used for non-vegetarian curries. Dahi Pakhala, a dish made of rice, water, and yoghurt, that is fermented overnight, is very popular in summer, particularly in the rural areas. Oriyas are very fond of sweets and no Oriya repast is considered complete without some dessert at the end.
Oriya food is so healthy. Food can be divided according to two broad categories: Its alkaline/acidic content and its suitability to individuals. Oriya food is more alkaline than acidic. It is said that cancer cells die if kept in an alkaline solution for three hours. So you can guess the benefits of alkali in food.
Talking of Oriya food, and not to mention Pakhala is a crime. The best thing of a Oriya summer is the soothing effect of Pakhala in the scorching heat. I relished the oriya dishes - the saga bahaja,the aalu bhaja,aalu poda,sukua,badi chura and above all the Pakhala.There is something special about these dishes, some sort of simplicity that I find missing in other dishes. Probably there is something distinctly Oriya in Pakhala.Probably Pakhala is the food of Oriyas just as the Sattu for the Biharis and Dal Bati for the Rajasthanis.Nobody is sure about the origin of the dish or how and when it got embedded in our culinary habits. Vague references about a rice dish fermented in water can be found in ancient Buddhistic inscriptions in pali.But it was not until it got acceptedd as a main item of food for Lord Jagganth and began to be offered to the devotees as prasadam, that it started getting wide acceptance from local inhabitants. The ‘abhada pakahal’, in fact, greatly popular through out the state began from the kitchens of Lord Jagannath. If language be taken as the parameter to judge historical significance, then we will have some interesting but contradictory results at our disposal. The word pakhala , strangely, owes its origin to the Sanskrit word ‘Paka’ that means taste. The tribal equivalent of the word refers to something that is “Fresh and energeti”. Thus it seems in its heydays,Pakhala was consumed for its freshness and revitalizing effect. A staple diet of every farmer or peasant even today, it is not difficult to conclude what an important place it held on the dietary habits of our ancestors.Even to this date we can hear sayings that praise its worth.
Whatever be the history, Pakhala Bhata holds its significance to our dining habit not only because of the taste but also owing to the geographical position and environmental conditions prevalent here. Can any other diet give us more satisfaction than a diet of pakhala in the scorching summers? Pakahala Bhata contains partially hydrolyzed starch and carbohydrates and many other vitamins along with sufficient water. This water is responsible for maintaining balanced temperature in the body during the heat of summers. Apart from the high cooling effect that it has, the fermented rice is a great protector of the Liver. Also the food being full of Yeast, promotes healthier cell production in the body.
An old couplet that comes to mind is
Pakhala Bhata ku na kariba Hina
Pakhal Bhata Debata samana!
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