The cuisine of Bihar is largely similar toNorth Indian cuisine andEast Indian cuisines. It is highly seasonal; watery foods such aswatermelon andsharbat made from the pulp of thewood-apple fruit are consumed mainly in the summer months, while dry foods such as preparations made of sesame seeds and poppy seeds are consumed more frequently in the winter months.
Bihari cuisine includelitti chokha,[2] a baked salted wheat-flour cake filled withsattu (baked chickpea flour) and some special spices, which is served withbaigan bharta,[3] made of roasted eggplant (brinjal) and tomatoes.[4][5]Dairy products are consumed frequently throughout the year, includingdahi (yogurt), spicedbuttermilk (known asmattha),ghee,lassi andbutter.
There are numerous Bihari meat dishes, withchicken andmutton being the most common.Fish dishes are especially common in theMithila region of North Bihar due to the number of rivers, such as theSone,Gandak,Ganges andKoshi. Among meat dishes, meatsaalan[6] is a popular dish made of mutton or goat curry with cubed potatoes ingaram masala.Dalpuri is another popular dish in Bihar. It is salted wheat-flour bread, filled with boiled, crushed, and fried gram pulses.[7]
Malpua is a popular sweet dish of Bihar, prepared by a mixture ofmaida, milk, bananas, cashew nuts, peanuts, raisins, sugar, water, and green cardamom. Another notable sweet dish of Bihar isbalushahi, which is prepared by a specially treated combination ofmaida and sugar along withghee, and the well-known sweetkhaja is made from flour, vegetable fat, and sugar.Silao nearNalanda is famous for its production. During the festival ofChhath,thekua[8], a sweet dish made ofghee,jaggery, and whole-meal flour, flavoured withaniseed, is made.[4]
One remarkable tradition is "smoked food", referring to the use of smoked red chilli to infuse a strong aroma in food. Smoked chilli is used in preparingchokhaa, i.e. mashedbrinjals / potatoes / tomatoes, either single or combined. Smoked chilli is also used in preparing kadam chutney (thekadam is a common fruit that is sweet-sour in taste).
Kadhi bari[9] - These fried soft dumplings made of besan (gram flour) are cooked in a spicy gravy of yogurt and besan. They go well with plain rice.
Khichdi[10] - A mix of rice, dal and several vegetables, steamed together to give a distinctive taste of different ingredients combined in one dish. It is often topped up withghee.
Ghugni - A preparation made of black grams soaked (either lightly or overnight) in water and then sautéed in mustard oil in a wok. All kinds ofgaram masala made as paste on a sil is used for flavouring; chana is also ground to form a paste used as thickener. This thickens the masala and makes gravy as per desire. After proper seasoning andbhunjana, water is added to the mix for gravy as desired.
Pittha - A sort of dumpling that can be either salty or sweet. It is a semi-circular or ball-shaped preparation whose crust is made of soft rice flour and filled with preparations made ofchanna daal lentil paste also known asDal Pitha, or poppy seeds andgur (jaggery), then steamed in water or milk and allowed to thicken.
Sattu - Powdered baked gram, an energy-giving food usually mixed with water or milk. Sometimes, sattu mixed with spices is used to prepare stuffedchapattis, locally known asmakuni roti.
Dhuska - A deep-fried item prepared from a mixture of powdered rice and ghee, and salted.
Litti - Powdered baked gram is mixed with chopped onions, green chillies, lemon juice, and coriander leaves. This mixture is filled inside atta and either barbecued over coal or deep-fried with oil. Best accompanied with ghee, curd andbaigan chokha oraloo chokha.
Angika cuisine predominantly consumed in theAnga region, is characterized by the use of mustard oil, fish, and bamboo shoots. The famous Bihari Fish Curry and Sarse Baingan (a mustard preparation of eggplant) are beloved Angika delicacies. Other Angika cuisines areGhugni-Mudi,Thekua.[11]
Bhojpuri cuisine is a style of food preparation common amongst theBhojpuri people who reside in theBhojpuri region ofIndia andNepal. Bhojpuri foods are mostly mild and are less hot in term of spices used, but could be hotter and spicier according to individual preference. The food is tailor-made for Bhojpuri lifestyle in which therural folk expend many calories in the fields.
Maithil cuisine also known asMithila cuisine, is a part ofIndian andNepalese cuisine.[12] It is the traditional cooking style ofMaithils residing in theMithila region of India and Nepal.[13] Maithil cuisine comprises a broad repertoire of rice, wheat, fish and meat dishes and the use of various spices, herbs and natural edibles.[14] The cuisine is categorized by types of food for various events, from banquets, to weddings and parties, festival foods, and travel foods.[15][16]
Magahi cuisine. (Hindi:मगही खाना) is a style of food preparation common amongst theMagahis living inMagadh region ofBihar,India. The food is tailor-made for Magadhi lifestyle. Magahi people take pride in celebrating various festivals and religious rites with food; as a result, their food resembles the delicacies offered to deities.
Bihari cuisine is closer to Bengali cuisine with lesser Central Asian influence. Most dishes are steamed with achaunk of spices. Turmeric is usually added to every preparation. Dishes using garam masala are less common.
Nenua: Sponge gourd steamed with achaunk of methi (fenugreek seeds) and mirchi (green/red chilli).Chana orchana dal is usually added as well.
Lauki: Bottle gourd steamed with achaunk of jeera (cumin seeds) and mirchi (green chili), orpanchphoran.Chana dal is usually added as well.
Aravi in sarson masala
Alu-Baigan: Potato and brinjal steamed with achaunk ofpanchphoran. Other seasonal vegetables likelauki,matar, beans,palak, or tomatoes may also be added.
The distinctiveBihari flavour of non-vegetarian cooking finds mention in the memoirs of MaulanaAbul Kalam Azad, who found it quite tasty. Forms ofkebabs,mutton preparations and dishes prepared from variousfowl and birds have a distinctive flavor.Biharis are quite famous for their Bihari kebabs, another typical Bihari non-vegetarian dish.[23] This dish was traditionally made from mutton and is eaten withroti,paratha or boiledrice. The region ofChamparan is famous for a grilled mutton dish calledtaash. Recently, in fast food restaurants, Bihari kebabs are also sold as Bihari kebab rolls, which are essentially kebabs wrapped up in aparatha.
Churra - Beaten rice, served with a coat of creamy curd and sugar or jaggery. In winters, this is mildly baked and accompanied with a thick, spicy preparation made of peas and onions.
Chokha - Pulsed and mashed vegetables with mustard oil and spices.
'Dal Pitthi' is a Bihari dish eaten mostly during breakfast or in the evening with chai. Dal in Hindi means legumes and pitthi means dumplings made of whole wheat
There is a large variety of traditional sweet delicacies in Bihar. Unlike Oriya and Bengali sweets, which are soaked in syrups made of sugar and are therefore wet, Bihar's sweets are mostly dry.
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 fromGaya is famous.[28]
Parwal ki mithai - Made of pointed gourd (botanical nameTrichosanthes dioica). The fruit is scrapped to remove the skin, sliced longitudinally, deseeded and boiled to make it tender and then filled withkhoyya, a preparation made of condensed milk and dry fruits. It is then imbibed with warm sugar syrup. Silver foil may be added after it cools off.
Pirikya/gujiya - Made from flour and khoya, etc. It is a flaky pastry filled with sweet khoya and dry fruits stuffing. Khoya or Mawa is evaporated/condensed milk solids. It is famous in Basopatti and villages nearby.
Khurchan - This is made of layers of scrapped condensed milk. Available in Patna city (old town).
Postaa-dana kaa Halwa - A sweet pudding made of poppy seeds soaked overnight in water and then ground to a paste and sautéed inghee (clarified butter) in a wok. This is generally prepared in the winter season.
Kasar - A dry sweet prepared of coarsely ground rice during theChhath festival.[35]
Lai - There are several varieties of lai available in Bihar, including lai from Gaya. The main component of this lai is ram dana seeds. These ram danas are processed and mixed with khoya and sugar to create a disk-shaped sweet.[36]
Dangra ka Tilkut - Made of sesame seed and available only in the winter. A thick hard base ofgur/mittah) 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 Dangra village in Gaya is famous.
Paan peda - The famous one is from Mohiuddin Nagar, Madudabad, Kalyanpur Basti area. It is a heart-shapedpeda with a completely different taste from the common peda available in the market.
Gaja - A sweet which is cubical in form and made out of maida.[37]
Makhana kheer - Kheer made with makhana which is known as fox nut (lotus flower seed); it has medicinal and health benefits and it is not very sweet.
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