Pakhala : Flavour of Odisha
By- Kritisha Das
Bhubaneswar: Almost every Indian state has its signature dish, and for Odisha, it is Pakhala Bhata. Once you’ll visit the state, you’ll be surprised to find this dish everywhere – from places of worship to roadside stalls, to restaurants and even to home kitchens. Pakhala Bhata is also served in the popular Jagannath Puri temple. This simple rice and curd dish is a staple lunch meal in all Odia households, especially in summer. It is light, refreshing, hydrating and super easy to make. In fact, if you have leftover rice at home and don’t know what to do with it, just go on to make this dish without a doubt !
It is unknown when Pakhala was first included in the daily diet of Eastern India, but history says, it was included in the recipe of Lord Jagannath Temple of Puri circa 10th cen.The word Pakhala was used in the Odia poems of Arjuna Das in his literary work KaIpalata (1520-1530 AD). These are few facts that tell us about its deep Odia roots.
Pakhala Bhata is not just limited to Odisha, it is enjoyed in other states like Bengal, Jharkhand and Assam too. In Bengal, it is called Pani Bhat. Now just like Rasgulla we don’t want to have one another debate on Pakhala Bhata.
This dish is definitely going to create an interest among the culinary scholars and connoisseur – a debate specially where to put it on the food map of India. let the government wake up and go for Pakhala Bhata GI Tag.
