KalingaTV News Network
Bhubaneswar: People of Odisha celebrated ‘Pakhala Dibasa’ (Universal Pakhala Day) on Tuesday by eating different varieties of Pakhalas. The universal pakhala day is observed in a bid to promote Odia food worldwide.
“Every region in the world has a dish that defines the cultural identity of that area. Pakhala is a one of those dishes which reveals the culture of Odisha and its people. We have been eating pakhala since generations. It is our traditional food which we love and enjoy to eat. I am happy that Pakhala Dibasa is being celebrated,” said Satyajit Senapati, denizen of Bhubaneswar.
Pakhala, a traditional Odia dish, is prepared by mixing rice with water, curd and keeping it overnight. After 7–8 hours the rice starts to get fermented. This fermented, cooked rice is known as pakhala. The baghara pakhala variant is usually topped with cumin seeds, fried onions and mint leaves. It is mostly served with roasted vegetables like potato, brinjal, badi, saga bhaja and fried fish.
Pakhala is mostly eaten during summer season as the healthy and tasty food not only beats the heat in summer but is great for the digestive system.
Earlier, the Odia traditional food was considered to be the food of the poor and underprivileged. However, hotels and restaurants including the star hotels have now included it in their menu and commercialized it to attract global audience, who love to taste Oriental cuisine.
Pakhala is also included in the recipe of Lord Jagannath Temple and the deities are served three types of Pakhalas. The Tabha Pakhala is served during Sakala Dhupa and Madhur (Mitha) Pakhala during Madhyana Dhupa while the Subhasha Pakhala is given during Sandhya Dhupa.
Apart from these, there are other varieties of Pakhaḷas like-
- Baghara Pakhaḷa – made by topping fried cumin with curry leaves to pakhaḷa.
- Dahi Pakhaḷa – made by adding curd to pakhaḷa.
- Saja Pakhala – generally made by adding water instantly after making rice or with warm rice.
- Basi Pakhaḷa (basi in Odia means “stale”) – is made by fermenting rice by adding water which is generally kept overnight and eaten in the next day. It is also known by the names basi amana or basyam (literally meaning stale cooked rice).
#WATCH: Meet ‘Pakhala Nani’ Sukanti Behera who prepares special #DahiPakhala using 40 different masalas #PakhalaDibasa #Odisha @soumyajitt @arvindpadhee pic.twitter.com/KvB1x1PHfw
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