Bhubaneswar/Nayagarh: Odisha observed ‘Chhena Poda Dibasa’ Saturday, marking the significance of state’s iconic sweet.
Chhenapoda is a sweet dish made from cheese (chhena), sugar, cardamom and cashew nuts.
Since 2022, the state has been observing ‘Chhenapoda Dibasa’ April 11, marking the birth anniversary of Sudarshan Sahoo, the man credited with accidentally discovering the iconic dessert.
The origin of Chhena Poda dates back to 1945 in Dasapalla, a town in the Nayagarh district, where Sudarshan Sahoo ran a sweet shop. In an attempt to make use of leftover cheese, Sahoo mixed it with sugar, cardamom and cashew nuts, shaped it into a cake and placed it in a charcoal oven overnight. The next morning, he discovered what would become one of Odisha’s most loved desserts.
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“The term ‘Chhena’ (cheese) and ‘Poda’ (baked) came about by accident,” a member of the Sahoo family said.
“Sudarshan continued making it using the same process, and people loved the unique taste. That’s how Chhena Poda became famous.”
However, Sudarshan Sahoo himself credited his father, Bidyadhar Sahoo, for the invention of the sweet, saying he merely assisted his father in preparing it.
Notably, India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, had once appreciated the taste of Chhena Poda.
As Bidyadhar Sahoo’s exact birth date is unknown, locals chose to observe Sudarshan Sahoo’s birthday (April 11, 1931) as ‘Chhenapoda Dibasa. ‘
However, some residents of Dasapalla also commemorate the day December 31, the death anniversary of Bidyadhar Sahoo, in his honour.