Odia dishes offer divine taste to food fest visitors in Germany

Bhubaneswar: An Odia spread was dished out to the world at the Indian Food Festival organised at Exerzierhaus, 85049 Ingolstadt, Germany, on Saturday.

The Shree Jagannatha Seva Germany, Munich, and Odia European Society (OES) rustled up 15 delicacies to give a taste of Odisha’s culinary delights — the Annapurna Odia thali comprised plain rice, kanika, dalma, dahi baigan, khajuri-tomata khata, cheena khiri and green salad. Kanika (sweet rice) was the obvious highlight. “Our humble Odia stall was created to represent Odisha and Jagannath culture in Ingolstadt,” said Priyadarshan Samal, a member of the organisation.

Chef Vikas Khanna, who has been promoting Odia food for quite some time now, had once said, “Kanika is more than a dish. It’s nostalgia. It’s a tradition. It’s a bowl full of love and blessings. It takes me straight to the divine kitchens of Jagannath Temple.”

Also, at the food festival, the Odia group presented the famous dahibara aludum, which was recently presented by the chef at Bungalow, his New York-based restaurant. This apart, the famous chennapoda, khaja, guguni chaat, chaanch, jhal mudhi, sweet paan and paan shot also formed part of the festival. “From dahibara aloodum to chennapoda, every item carried emotion, devotion and memories of home for so many people living far away from Odisha,” said Tanmay Panda, another member.

The proceeds from this festival would be utilised for Rath Yatra to be organised by Shree Jagannatha Seva Germany this year. “The Annapurna Odia thali received an overwhelming response, especially from German guests, who lovingly explored the authentic flavours of Odisha,” said Debasis Sahoo.

A team of Odias prepared all the delicaies with cooking starting a day earlier and continuing late into the night and early Saturday morning.