BIHAR – Poshan Maah – 28 Days, 28 States

The evolution of the cuisine of Bihar can be traced back to its rulers and the religion practised there. Buddhism and Jainism have brought the concept of non-violence to Bihar as a result of which a large number of people follow a vegetarian diet. Also, Bihar is among the few north Indian states where both rice and wheat are consumed in equal measure.
Another speciality of the state is that the people of Bihar give a lot of importance to eating seasonal food; their specialities change from season to season. Food is predominantly cooked in mustard oil which lends it a distinct taste. Biharis believe in letting the taste of the seasonal ingredients shine through the food without overpowering them with spices. Let’s have a look at the food from the Land of Buddha, Bihar:

LITTI CHOKHA: Litti and Chokha is a popular delicacy in Bihar. It is a dough ball made up of wheat flour, stuffed with a mixture of sattu (chickpea flour) with spices and roasted over cow dung cakes, wood or coal and tossed with ghee. Litti is eaten with chokha which is a blend of eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes mixed with spices.

SATTU PARANTHA: Sattu ka paratha is an immensely popular recipe of paratha in North India. It is a pure Bihari delicacy and one of the most frequently prepared breakfast or lunch. This healthy stuffed paratha is prepared with spicy and flavoured Sattu (chickpea flour) stuffing. The stuffing is inserted into the wheat dough portions and rolled out into flat parathas. Sattu ka paratha is shallow fried in a pan with little oil or ghee.
Sattu is high in fibre and full of nutrients which is great for our digestive system.
It is renowned as a summer cooler and also helps to control blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

BIHARI CHICKEN TANDORI: There are numerous popular Bihari meat dishes, with chicken and mutton being the most common. The distinctive Bihari flavour of non-vegetarian cooking finds mention in the memoirs of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who found it quite tasty.

BIHARI KEBABS: Though cuisine from Bihar is traditionally vegetarian, the bihari kabab is a meat delight that has an infusion of mustard oil, largely used in India, specifically Bengal and Bihar, and a liberal amount of masala. Meat is cut into slices, mixed with a lot of spices and cooked over coal on skewers. Cooked kebabs are tossed with ghee. The uniqueness of the Bihari kabab is in its texture, marinade and spice content.

KHAJA:  This may be compared to the Greek baklava. It is a sweet pastry with thin wafers unique to Bihar. The most famous khajas are from Silao in the Nalanda district in Bihar.

TILKUT (Til Burfi): Made of sesame seed and is available only in the winter. A thick hard base of sugar the size of a tennis ball is rolled in copious amounts of sesame seed and then hammered to roll it out in a round shape. Though available all over the state, the one from Gaya is famous.

ANARSA: It is an Indian pastry-like snack commonly prepared during Diwali in Bihar. It is made using jaggery, rice, poppy seed and ghee.

There are many other dishes that are popular in this state like Dal puri, Parwal ki Mithai, Chana Ghugni, Malpua, Makhana kheer, Thekua, Khurma and many many more…