Bihari Cuisine - The undiscovered cuisine of India

bihari cuisine, foods from bihar, bihar ka khana, cuisine of bihar,food habits of bihar, litti Chokha,  bihari foods... shakesh singh

Excerpts from -- bhansaghar by Shakesh Singh

The cuisine of Bihar is characterized by its use of locally available ingredients. The use of hand-picked vegetables and freshly crushed spices is the hallmark of this cuisine. Wheat and rice are the staple food. Vegetables and fruits are grown in abundance and consumed in different ways. Maize, barley, gram, oilseed and pulses are important crops. Milk products, various dehydrated items (known as barriers), roasted chana powder (sattu), fresh water fish, poultry and mutton are also consumed. The traditional cooking medium is mustard oil, but ghee, vanaspati and other cooking oils are also used. 

The food habits of Bihar are an indication of how the cuisine of the State has evolved over centuries under the influence of various cultures and regimes that controlled it from time to time. Lord Buddha attained enlightenment in Bihar and hence the impact of Buddhism is significant in the State. People of Bihar are largely vegetarian though many are fond of chicken, fish and meat dishes. As Bihar has also been under the reign of the Mughals, there is an obvious influence of the exotic Mughal cuisine on the cooking style and culinary tastes of its inhabitants. Though the State has imbibed the best of the Gupta, Mauryan, Turk, Afghan, Persian and European styles of cooking, it has retained a food culture that has the distinct features of Bihar’s cuisine.

Sattu based dishes are very popular. This includes different types of litti, sattu paratha, and sattu sharbats. Sattu is also consumed by kneading it with salt and a limited amount of water, and eaten with pickles, onions and green chillies. It has a sweet and richer version which is prepared by mixing Sattu with sugar and ghee.

The cuisine of Bihar includes many mouth-watering sweet dishes. Special delicacies include pua, pitha, khajja, kheer, sevian, chandralala, ras malai, balushahi, anarasa, kala jamun, kesaria peda, parwal ki mithai, khubi ki lai and tilkut.

The day’s meal consists of breakfast, lunch, high tea and dinner.

Bhansaghar - The bihar CookBook

Bihari cuisine/Bihar ka Khana/Popular dishes from Bihar/ Litti Chokha


The Bihar Cook Book

– a first of its kind –

 on various facets of the cuisine of Bihar; something that has not been adequately documented, discussed or written about.  

Bihar’s cuisine is so varied that recipes do not just change between different districts or provinces; it changes from one home/family to another. Besides recipes, the various traditions and rituals associated with food are commonly discussed and recounted. The people of Bihar prepare and eat an extensive variety of food, but not enough thought or effort has gone into giving them suitable names or an identity. 

Through this book we have tried to bring to you the wide-ranging culinary heritage of the State. We have collected some of the finest recipes which we hope receives appreciation from a varied range of food lovers. There were many interesting, and sometimes daunting, challenges we faced while writing this book. The obvious one was in deciding on one recipe for a particular dish that is cooked in a variety of ways in different regions and different households. We tried them one by one and selected the best for you.

The equations given below each recipe is intended to help you quickly recollect the steps.

Hope you enjoy using the book and find it good enough to bite into.

Special Features of the Book -

·         81 authentic and delicious recipes from the kitchens of Bihar.

·         Step by step method to achieve same product each time.

·         Clear and Concise ingredients list for each recipes.

·         Equation at the end of recipe for a quick view

·         Inspiring photograph of each recipe to tingle your taste buds.

History of Bihar

• The Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka, who is believed to be one of the greatest rulers in the history of India and the world, was born in Patliputra (Present Patna) Photograph ofAsoka. • A part of Bihar was called "Magadha" in ancient times. This place has witnessed the birth, rise and developments of two traditions - Jainism and Buddhism. The world knows that Gautam Budha got the enlightment under a tree 25 km away from Gaya, which is today popularly known by the name of - Bodh Gaya. Photograph of Magadg/Bodg Gaya • The Vikramshila and Nalanda universities were among the oldest and The Best centers of education, learning & development in ancient India. Nalanda was one of the finest university and students from every corner of the world used to come and stay here. Photograph of Vikramshila and Nalanda universities • Bihar remained an important place of power, culture and education during the The Gupta Empire, which again originated from Magadha in 240 CE, is referred to as the Golden Age of India in science, mathematics, astronomy, religion and philosophy. The peace and prosperity created under leadership of Guptas enabled the pursuit of scientific and artistic endeavors. Historians place the Gupta dynasty alongside with the Han Dynasty, Tang Dynasty and Roman Empire as a model of a classical civilization. The capital of Gupta Empire was Pataliputra. Today, today the guptas are not here, but we still have the students who are excelling in mathematics, science, astrology and secquring their place in county’s top most Institutes. • Kalidasa's Sanskrit play Abhigyansakuntalam is one of the Legacy of the Gupta Empire. • The state has witnessed a brief period of glory for six years (1540 -1546 CE) during the rule of Sher Shah Suri, who built the longest road of the Indian subcontinent, the Grand Trunk Road. The economic reforms carried out by Sher Shah, like the introduction of Rupee and Custom Duties that is still used by the Government of India. He built up his headquarter at Patna. • During 1557-1576, Akbar, the Mughal emperor, annexed Bihar and Bengal to his empire.With the decline of the Mughals, Bihar passed under the control of the Nawabs of Bengal. • The tenth and the last human Guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh was born in Patna. • After the Battle of Buxar (1764), the British East India Company obtained the diwani rights (rights to administer, and collect revenue or tax) for Bihar, Bengal and Orissa. From this point, Bihar remained a part the Bengal Presidency of the British Raj until 1912, when the province of Bihar and Orissa was carved out as a separate province. In 1935, certain portions of Bihar were reorganized into the separate province of Orissa. • It was from Bihar that Mahatma Gandhi launched his pioneering civil-disobedience movement, Champaran Satyagraha. Bhumihar Brahmins in Champaran had earlier revolted against indigo cultivation in 1914 (at Pipra) and 1916 (Turkaulia). • Bihar's contribution in the Indian freedom struggle has been immense.Satyagraha received immense support from many Bihari nationalists like Rajendra Prasad who became the first President of India and Anugrah Narayan Sinha who ultimately became the first Deputy Chief Minister cum Finance Minister of Bihar. • The state of Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in the year 2000. Find out more about Bihar in the upcomming book - cuisinebihar.com

Bihar - how to discribe

It is difficult to describe a place 

where you can find a complex diversity of

 religious, artistic, linguistic, geographica

l and culinary amalgamation of thoughts.

 A place that draws its eternal vitality

 from the rich and ancient cultural heritage,

 A place that is known fo

r its simple, peace loving,

 religious and hardworking people 

 One needs to travel far and wide 

to understand this enriching experience of the state called

 Bihar