Odisha or Orrisa is the next state that we are travelling to in this Indian Food Odyssey series.In the ancient times, this was the Kalinga kingdom and was also known as Utkala as mentioned in India’s national anthem.
This is the 9th largest state by population and 11th largest by population.
Since the per-historic times, this place has been inhabited by various people and has a history of over 5000 years.
Bhuvaneshwar, the capital of Odisha is a house to 1000 temples! The famous among them is the Puri Jagannath Temple.
This is the place where the oldest dance form – Odissi originated.
Coming to the cuisine,mainly relies on local produce/ ingredients. The flavors are subtle and has a mild use of spices.Only 6% of the population is vegetarian and for the rest of the folks, sea food is the most widely used and most popular one.Mustard oil is used for cooking and turmeic poswer, panch poran seeds, garam masala are widely used in this cuisine.
These people are fond of sweets and no meal is complete without a dessert.
Garlic and onions are shunned during festivals and even some restaurants near the Puri Jagannath Temple have dishes without garlic and onion in their menus!
This cuisine boasts of a large repertoire of dishes in all categories.
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