ORISSALand Of Gods and Great Food
 This Gourmet Destination is not about the hoary antiquities, magnificent monuments, exquisite handicrafts, luxuriant forests, bountiful lakes and bracing sea resorts of Orissa. It is about the people and the cuisine they eat. It is about the temples, the Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri, the Sun Temple of Konark, the Lingaraj Temple of Bhubaneshwar, and the temple food that is known as mahaprasad. It is about the Puri Maharaja and his palace restaurant. The Railway Hotel, streetfood, seafood markets, Oriya cuisine, temple kitchens, priests who are cooks.
In Puri, the great high for the common man comes from consuming bhang every evening. And once intoxicated, to follow it up by a rich and sweet meal. Several men get down to the task, rhythmically rolling the grinding stone over the leaves, adding little warm water to make a smooth bhang consistency. They add panmadhuri (aniseed), golmaricha (black pepper) and almonds. Oriya food is delicious. It1s unusual. And close to Bengali cuisine, but also vastly different. In a way, it is gourmet food, and if there is one thing the Oriya loves... it is having his Sorisa Badi Baigana Jhola and Poi Saag.
 The mainstay of Oriya cooking is easily the vegetarian dishes, the Dalma of arhar dal cooked in an earthen pot with brinjals, tomatoes, white pumpkin, papaya, cauliflower, and any other vegetable that the Oriya fancies putting into the pot. The dal is half boiled, the chopped veggies are added, and the mixture is cooked for 15 minutes.
 The Oriya loves his fish. If he is not a vegetarian, the Oriya will go to great lengths to ensure that his meal has at least one fish preparation in it. The most commonly made dish is the Mahurali Chadchadi.
There is little influence of chicken in Oriya cuisine, but there is lamb, a fatty lamb, and the most popular recipe for this meat is the Mansa Kassa.
Or the Mansa Tarkari. Kassa is dry. And Tarkari is gravy. The Oriya usually opts the leg portion of the lamb.
For full article: www.uppercrustindia.com (Archives: October - December 2002)
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