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Traditional ‘pitha’ undergoes a sea change

Photo: Lingaraj Panda

Oriya sweets, which are prepared by women to mark the Oriya New Year in Bhubaneswar. —

BERHAMPUR: No Oriya festivity is complete without the festive delicacies popularly known as ‘Pitha’. But with the modern times the medium of cooking as well as the technique of preparation of different Pitha have undergone changes.

Traditional women and cooks cannot think of preparing ‘Chhena Poda’, the special cheese cake of Orissa and ‘Poda Pitha’ a unique festival cake without using traditional stoves in which only firewood is used.

But the modern kitchens cannot afford to have these traditional stoves due to different reasons. But the lure and taste of these delicacies has prompted the culinary artists to make necessary changes in the recipe to prepare these delicacies in electric ovens or microwave ovens at home.

Similarly ‘Enduri Pitha’ is being prepared in Idli cookers rather than using the traditional process. No more special earthen pot ‘Palama’ is being used in modern homes to prepare ‘Chitau Pitha’.

Housewives are compelled to prepare them in Kadahi. Similarly the oil used for cooking traditional ‘Pitha’ has also undergone changes due to increase in health consciousness among the new generation. Gone are the days when delicacies like ‘Arisa Pitha’ ‘Parijata’ ‘Nurukhuruma’ or ‘Kakara’ used to be deep fried in desi ghee or vanaspati. But now all housewives prefer to fry them in low fat edible oils.

“These small changes have kept these traditional festive delicacies alive that has passed from mothers to daughters since generations in Orissa,” says Pranita Das a housewife.

But connoisseurs of food like Fakir Das still feel taste of traditional delicacies prepared through the traditional process have a special taste which can never be simulated by modern mediums.

To keep alive traditional ‘Pitha’ among women, ‘Pitha’ competitions are organised during festivities like Mahavishuva Sankranti the Oriya New Year , every year at different places.

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