Last Updated At: 31-Jan-2025
Embark on a culinary journey through the vibrant and diverse flavours of Odisha, a land renowned for its rich culinary heritage. Odisha's famous food is a delightful fusion of traditional recipes passed down through generations, coupled with influences from neighbouring regions. From the iconic Odia sweets like Rasagola and Chhena Poda to savoury delicacies like Machha Besara and Dalma, each dish is a symphony of taste, texture, and aroma. Explore the bustling streets of Odisha's cities and towns, where roadside vendors and local eateries beckon with tantalising treats. Indulge in the burst of flavours that encapsulate the essence of Odisha's culinary landscape, offering a unique gastronomic experience that is sure to leave a lasting impression on your taste buds.
Let us have a look at the mouth-watering cuisine of Odisha and enjoy the flavours, textures, and taste easier on our palate.
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With time, the Orissa famous food has embraced flavours and cooking style from neighbouring states like Bihar and Jharkhand, but the less oily and less-spicy food of Odisha still allow the flavours of the dish to come through. If you are a food aficionado who loves tasting local dishes, here we recommend must-try cuisines of Odisha that you will remember for a long time!
Prepared in a typical Odia way, Dalma, the Odisha famous food, is a lentil dish high in nutrition. This simple dal dish is made slightly differently in Orissa, but it tastes divine. It is made using roasted yellow moong dal, green chillies, ginger, and veggies like pumpkin, potatoes, onions, carrots, and raw papaya. A range of spices is added to it to make it flavourful. These are bay leaves, cumin seeds, panch phoran, red chillies, chopped coriander leaves, grated coconut, and tempered in pure ghee. Enjoy this drool-worthy dal with crispy papads and steamed rice.
A mouth-watering meal widely cooked in Odisha. It is spiritually significant as it is cooked as the main bhog offered in Puri’s Jagannath Temple. Offered every day to the Lord, this food is distributed among the devotees as prasad. It is prepared using pure ghee, lentils, rice, light spices, and chopped vegetables. It is a high-nutrition and wholesome meal. This dish can be enjoyed with papad and fresh curd.
It is a delectable non-vegetarian delicacy in Odisha. The most amazing prawn curry is a gastronomic delight for non-veg lovers. This dish is prepared by adding various ingredients, full of flavours, creamy in texture, and awesome in taste. The curry base is made using coconut milk and a dash of ginger. Spices like cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, cumin, cardamom, cloves, and red chilli powder make this dish more delectable. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve it with piping hot basmati rice.
Enjoyed by locals and visitors alike, Kanika is a traditional food of Orissa. It is mostly enjoyed during pujas, festivals, and other special occasions. Sweet in taste, it is one of the chappan bhog, or 56 dishes served to Lord Jagannath. This pulao dish is made with high-quality basmati rice with cashew nuts, sugar, ghee, raisins, cardamom, and cinnamon added to it. It is enjoyed as a dessert after a heavy meal.
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High on nutrition-quotient, Santula is a curry dish prepared in a typical Odia style. It has the right amount of spices and lots of veggies added to it. Some major vegetables added to the curry are tomato, potato, raw papaya, brinjal, etc. Boiled vegetables until mushy are added to the curry and flavoured with green chillies, ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, panch phoran, and salt. It is one of the most famous dishes of Odisha. Minimum spices and nutrition-high veggies make it a healthy meal.
Made in almost every Odisha household, Pakhala Bhata is prepared in a unique cooking style. Amazing in taste, this dish is made of rice cooked in a mixture of cumin seeds, sour curd, coriander leaves, mint leaves, and water. It is left to soak overnight and enjoyed the next day with roasted vegetables, fried fish, papad, potatoes, and raw onions. The nutritional value of fermented rice is high and carries a unique flavour. This dish is recognised for its importance, and as such, Pakhala Divas is celebrated in the state on 20th March.
It is a non-vegetarian dish relished by residents of the state. This is the most amazing Odisha famous dish made up of fried fish and has a rich curry. The curry base is prepared with tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, onions, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, chilli powder, and chana dal. Fried fish is added to the curry. Enjoy it with salad and steamed rice.
It is one of the most enjoyed and delectable combinations loved and relished by everyone visiting Odisha. Dahi Vada with Aloo Dum, one cool and the other hot, is amazingly preferred together. Dum aloo is made using baby potatoes. A lot of hot spices are added to it to enhance its flavour. Dahi vadas, on the other hand, are lentil fritters deep-fried and then coated with chutneys and curd. The coolness of dahi vadas balances the spiciness of dum aloo.
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A perfect dish for people with a sweet tooth, Chhena Poda is a lip-smacking dessert enjoyed in Orissa. It looks like a cheesecake and is believed to be the favourite sweet dish of Lord Jagannath. As such, it is also offered at the Jagannath Puri temple. This dish is also cooked and relished during special occasions like Durga Puja, Diwali, and other festivals. It has semolina, crumbled paneer, raisins, almonds, sugar, cardamom powder, and cashew nuts. All ingredients are smoothly mixed and baked until golden brown. Its sweet-melting taste stays in the mouth forever!
An Orissa famous food, pani puri or gupchup, is also as famous in Orissa as in the northern part of the country. These small crispy puris are filled with boiled chickpeas, mashed potatoes, and spices. Tangy Jal jeera, or sweet tamarind water, is added to make it spicier and tastier. These days, a variety of flavoured water is available with the gupchup vendors.
A tasteful cuisine full of essential nutrition is another delightful food of Odisha worth trying. It is wholesome and packed with vegetables like tomatoes, mushrooms, and potatoes cooked on a low flame in a mustard paste. The addition of mustard to the dish gives it a unique flavour. Enjoy this appetising dish with chapatis or hot steamed rice.
It is another one on the list of special desserts enjoyed in Odisha. This dish is also served to Lord Jagannath as Chappan Bhog. This delicacy is prepared using cottage cheese, semolina, wheat flour, cardamom powder, and sugar. It is kneaded with gentle hands to make a soft dough. The small doughnut-shaped tikkis are fried until golden brown and added to the thickened milk. It's every bite seems to leave an amazing taste in your mouth.
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Although it is also a rice dish, it is cooked differently than rice pulao. This delicacy is made using soaked rice sauteed in spices, onions, chopped vegetables, and garlic. It is cooked on a low flame for about half an hour with some water added. Meat and dry fruits can be added to this recipe to make it more delightful. Enjoy this one-pot meal with any curry of your choice and vegetable raita.
Wish to enjoy Odisha’s special food? Besara is an amazing option worth trying. This simple yet delectable food is made with pumpkin, potatoes, papaya, banana, garlic, and onions. Spices are added, like mustard seeds, red chilli, cumin seeds, etc., to lend it an authentic flavour. The aroma of Besara will make your mouth water. Enjoy it with rice or Dalma.
Gaja is a must-have dish if you relish traditional flavours. This scrumptious dessert is also available in all eateries and sweet shops across the state. Mashed chhena shaped in rectangular and square discs is deep fried until golden brown. These fried chhenas are then dipped into the sugar syrup. Words are not enough to describe the amazing taste of this sweet dish.
If you have never tasted banana stem curry, try Kadali Manja rai, one of the most delectable Odisha dishes. This dish is prepared with potatoes, and banana stems as the main ingredients. Flavourings of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic, chilli powder, etc., make it more delicious. It is garnished with chopped coriander leaves and is usually enjoyed with rice and chapati.
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In essence, Odisha's famous food encapsulates the region's cultural richness and culinary diversity, inviting food enthusiasts to savour a myriad of delightful flavours. Whether you're sampling street food delights in bustling markets or dining at traditional Odia eateries, each dish offers a glimpse into Odisha's culinary heritage. The burst of flavours found in Odisha's iconic sweets, seafood delicacies, and vegetarian delights reflects the state's vibrant culinary tapestry, making it a must-visit destination for food connoisseurs seeking an unforgettable gastronomic experience.
Explore the rich culinary heritage of Odisha with us. Our passion is to bring you the authentic flavors of Odisha food, from the savory delights of Pakhala Bhata to the sweet goodness of Chhena Poda. Join us to discover the traditional tastes and secret recipes that make Odisha's cuisine truly unique.
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Q1. Why is Odisha famous for its food?
A1. Odisha is famous for simple yet delectable food. It is less spicy and prepared with minimum oil, which is good for health.
Q2. What is the special food of Odisha?
A2. Santula is a classic and delightful Odia delicacy. High on nutrition-quotient, it is a curry dish. It has the right amount of spices and lots of veggies added to it. Some major vegetables added to the curry are tomato, potato, raw papaya, brinjal, etc. Boiled vegetables until mushy are added to the curry and flavoured with green chillies, ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, panch phoran, and salt.
Q3. Which is the famous food name of Odisha?
A3. The food culture of Odisha is based on simple yet flavoursome food. Most dishes prepared in Odisha households are also served to Lord Jagannath in Jagannath Puri Temple as chappan bhog.
Q4. What is the best food in Odisha?
A4. Some of the best food in Odisha are-
Q5. Which is the food capital of Odisha?
A5. Berhampur is considered the food capital of Odisha. A variety of delightful Odia dishes are available here.
Q6. What is Odisha's famous sweet?
A6. Chhena Poda is a lip-smacking dessert enjoyed in Orissa. It looks like a cheesecake and is believed to be the favourite sweet dish of Lord Jagannath. It has semolina, crumbled paneer, raisins, almonds, sugar, cardamom powder, and cashew nuts. All ingredients are smoothly mixed and baked until golden brown. Its sweet-melting taste stays in the mouth forever!
--- Published By Adotrip
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