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For Oriya women who live outside the state and yearn to savour the heavenly sweetmeats of their native place, Raja without poda pitha is like tea without sugar
The mood ahead of Raja is characteristically upbeat and it is the season of festive gaiety. An integral – and definitely the most savoury – aspect of Raja celebrations is gorging on sumptuous ethnic delicacies – the several varieties of mouthwatering ‘pithas’ (sweetmeats) and desserts that are prepared during the festival. Among the traditional cakes, the ‘poda pitha’ deserves a special mention. With the three-day festival to start June 14, Orissa Post speaks to women for whom Raja without the lip-smacking poda pitha is like tea without sugar.
Sushmi Biswal Mallick, who lives in Kolkata, says, “Though I am settled in Kolkata after marriage, I still make poda pitha at home during Raja. There is a difference, however. Earlier, my mother used to make the traditional cake for me and my sisters and today I prepare it for my daughter, Titli. Raja parba is synonymous with poda pitha, a special cake prepared from a fermented batter of rice and black gram dal mixture (biri).The batter is left for a few hours to ferment, after which grated coconut, coconut slices, molasses or palm jaggery, chopped ginger, salt, desi ghee, crushed green cardamom, crushed cashew nuts, raisins and edible soda are mixed with it and cooked or baked over slow fire for almost an hour. Traditionally, poda pitha used to be prepared on clay ovens (called ‘chulhas’) in villages by wrapping the batter in a banana leaf and placing it over burning charcoal. The preparation used to have a smoky flavour. These days, however, city folks bake poda pitha at home in pressure cookers or microwave ovens.”
Chennai-based Chinmayee Palai says, “During the three days of festivity, women indulge in merrymaking and savour delicious pithas. The festival is incomplete without the delicious poda pitha. I make it a point to prepare the pitha at home and serve it to the neighbours. Poda pitha is traditionally prepared with rice batter wrapped in banana leaves that are smeared with ghee and roasted in an earthen ‘chulha’. The pitha roasts slowly in low heat allowing the flavour of the ashes and the burnt banana leaves to seep in. Once the fire is extinguished it is removed. The lightly burnt outer layer and the soft texture inside add to the taste. But the traditional ‘chulhas’ are absent in modern households and we make do with a heavy-bottomed ‘kadhai’, or just bake the pitha like a cake.”
Pabitra Priyadarshini, who lives in Singapore, yearns for Raja to arrive so that she could relish her favourite poda pitha – the signature dish of the festival. “With the advent of modern culture and growing distaste for traditional festivals, there has been a sharp decline in interest and enthusiasm when it comes to celebrating traditional festivals. Despite living far away from my family, I prepare poda pitha during Raja every year. In Orissa, the pitha is a special delicacy. Pithas are a part of all traditional festivals in the state. A few Oriya women like me who are settled in Singapore celebrate the festival every year by preparing poda pitha,” she says.