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Street food is loved across the country, and just like other states, Odisha's street food also includes a wide range of much-loved items like Dahi Bara, Aloo Dum, Chaat, Gupchup, etc. The locals love their street food, which is understandable given how reasonably priced and easily available it is. The old capital city of Cuttack and the modern one, Bhubaneswar, are home to some of the finest street food.
Here are some of the most famous street foods in Odisha.
1. Dahi Bara Aloo Dum
If you’re visiting Odisha and have missed eating Dahi Bara Aloo Dum, then you haven’t done it right. This popular street food is prepared in the morning and sold throughout the day by sellers who stand at every other point in the city. It is usually a breakfast option, but you can have it at any time of the day. Here, the dahi bara or vada is served together with the aloo curry or aloo dum and ghugni, or boiled dried yellow peas gravy. It is garnished with onion, coriander, cumin powder, chili powder, and chat masala and served on leaves or steel plates.
2. Bara Ghugni
While in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, or any other Odia city, you will find roadside food stalls where sellers are frying aloo chop, singada, and baras in the morning and in the evening. Baras are served with a yellow peas curry called Ghugni, which makes for a complete breakfast. To make the baras, urad dal paste is used and shaped into round vadas or baras. Ghugni, on the other hand, is made using dried yellow peas and is an excellent complement to it. This dish is a big favorite among the locals and visitors, who flock around the sellers in every nook and cranny of the city.
3. Chaat
There are numerous chaat stalls across the cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar in Odisha that prepare chaat using mashed potato, ghugni gravy, yoghurt, coriander, and tamarind sauce. All these delish items are combined and served together, resulting in a pop of flavors in your mouth. The chaat of Odisha is very different from those sold across the country and should not be missed when you visit the state.
4. Chakuli Pitha
The region of Odisha is renowned for its Chakuli pitha. It is a fermented rice cake that is prepared and eaten during festivals. Black gram, rice flour, and refined edible oil are used to make the batter. The batter is covered and allowed to ferment for a few hours before it is poured on a skillet to make round Chakuli pithas. They may be eaten plain or accompanied by side dishes such as ghugni, sambhar, sugar, jaggery, tea, milk, and mutton.
5. Chennapoda
Chenna poda is the signature sweet dish of Odisha and is loved by the locals here. It may look like a cake, but it tastes nothing like one. Chenna poda is native to the east of Odisha but is eaten throughout the region. It is made using cottage cheese, sugar, and clarified butter (ghee). It has a different taste and texture from the regular desserts eaten here. Chenna poda is easily available in most sweet shops in Odisha, so be sure to try it when visiting there.
6. Mudi Mangsho
You will need to go to Baripada to savor Mudhi Mansa. This delicacy from the northern part of Odisha, in Mayurbhanj, is well-known throughout the region. This dish has a significant position in the history of the region. People care about their "Mudhi Mansa" and are proud of it. Puffed rice or mudhi is served with mutton gravy, onions, green chili peppers, and fresh coriander. It is speculated that "Mudhi Mansa" was initially given to Baripada by the Mughals and later by the Kings of Mayurbhanj.
7. Khaja
Khaja is an ancient Odia dessert that is part of the "Sukhila Prasad" offered at Puri Jagannath Temple. In Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, fried dough is made with thicker pastry sheets and is consequently harder. Wheat flour, mawa, and oil are used to make the batter. After being deep-fried until crisp, the pastry absorbs a sugar syrup known as Paga. A sweet syrup is poured over the fried dough, which is then served in dried form. Taste the best khaja in Odisha in the coastal town of Puri, where various types of it are sold at reasonable prices.
8. Rasabali
This scrumptious dish is popular in Odisha and is available in almost all the sweet shops there. It is made using cottage cheese or chenna and appears somewhat like a flat gulab jamun. It is fried and then dipped in a thick, sweetened milk.
9. Arisa Pitha
Arisa Pitha is another sweet dish of Odisha, made from rice flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Arisa pithas are velvety on the inside and coated on the outside with sesame seeds, making them crunchy. Arisa pithas are made specially on the occasion of Manabasa Lakshmi Puja in the month of Margashir. This traditional pancake is also served as a snack or dessert. You can easily find Arisa pithas in any sweet shop in Odisha.
10. Poda pitha
It's one of the oldest sweets in Odisha, dating back to 2 CE, and is served especially during Raja. It is a pancake made with coconut, lentil, and rice flour. It's not just the unusual method of cooking it that makes it nourishing, but also the fact that it tastes so good after a few days. It was because it was traditionally served to Lord Jagannath, who is said to eat it after returning from his aunt's house, that Podo Pitha rose in popularity.
