This sweet and tangy chutney goes down well with mutton curry and rice. It is drizzled on snacks and chaats and is also used as a sandwich spread.

An Odia dish prepared with yoghurt and eggplant, it is cooked on auspicious occasions without onion and garlic.

Literally translated into ocean of milk, khira sagara is a sweet dish that is absolutely delicious.

Kanika is a sweet version of the popular rice dish, pulao. It is made with fragrant rice, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, sugar and garnished with cashews and raisins. It goes well with dalma (lentils and vegetable curry) or khaja khatta (tomato and date chutney).

It is a simple dish that is a mixture of potato, pumpkin, banana and papaya with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic and dry chilli.

It is a special dish of Puri that is a part of most occasions. Also known as ‘Muri ghanto’, it comprises fish and vegetables like potato, brinjal, pumpkin, chana dal and lots of spices. It is best served with rice or roti (Indian flatbread)

This sweet dish can leave anyone craving for more. It is made with maida (wheat flour), semolina and milk. Fennel seeds and whole black pepper are added to this dessert which is very moist and melts in the mouth.

It is a mixed vegetable preparation and can either be fried (bhaja santula) or boiled (sijha santula). It is popular as a household dish and is made with seasonal vegetables with very less oil.

It is a tangy and spicy chutney that serves as a side variant of flavour. A combination of mango and mustard makes it sweet-sour in taste.

Chhatu Rai is a nutritious vegetable dish that is very popular in Odisha. Its flavours are enhanced by mushroom, tomato and turmeric, cooked in a tangy mustard paste. It is generally cooked during special occasions.

It is a fermented rice dish that is usually eaten in summer and is accompanied by aloo bharta (mashed potato sabzi) and badi chura (sundried lentils mixed with onion, green chilli, garlic).

There are different kinds of pithas. Some are similar to dosas and can be best described as rice pancakes that are served with chutneys. Some include a combination of ghee or clarified butter and rice, which is then deep-fried, while others are stuffed with a sweet filling and steamed.

Mahaprasad is the holy food served at the Jagannath Temple in Puri. It consists of a platter of 56 dishes, ranging from sweet to savoury. The feast is first served to Lord Jagannath and then distributed among devotees.

Khechadi is the Odia version of the much-loved khichdi. To prepare this, lentils and rice are slow-cooked together with plenty of ghee (clarified butter) and served hot.

Chingudi khosa is a dry preparation of crisp shrimp sautéed with onions and chillies. It can be eaten either with rice or flatbread. 

Khajuri khatta is a tangy chutney prepared with tomatoes and dates. It works well as a condiment.

A deep-fried sweet, khaja is made by layering multiple sheets of rolled-out flour on top of each other. This is then deep-fried, and the resulting fritter is dunked in sugar syrup.

Kanika is a sweet version of the popular rice dish, pulao. It is made with fragrant rice, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, sugar and garnished with cashews and raisins. It goes well with dalma (lentils and vegetable curry) or khaja khatta (tomato and date chutney).

Eaten across the state of Odisha, dalma is a flavourful and aromatic preparation of lentils and vegetables. It is usually served with steamed rice.

A popular dessert, chhena poda is made with kneaded chhena or cottage cheese that’s mixed with sugar and nuts and baked until it’s brown.

Chhena jhili is made by deep-frying dumplings of chhena or cottage cheese and then soaking them in sugar syrup. It’s a popular dessert.

Alu potala rasa is a light curry made with boiled vegetables like potatoes and a type of gourd. It’s spiced with pancha phoran, which is a mixture of fennel, cumin, mustard, kalonji and fenugreek seeds.