🧑🤝🧑 Odia
Also known as: Odia people, Oriya
The main people of Odisha on India's east coast; they link rasgulla to the tradition of the Jagannath Temple in Puri.
The Odia (Oriya) are the main people of the Indian state of Odisha on the east coast. Milk sweets here are closely tied to temple tradition and festivals.
As in neighbouring Bengal, the basis of the sweets is chhena, a fresh curd cheese made from milk curdled with acid. It is cooked into rasagola — balls in sugar syrup. In Odisha it is linked to the Jagannath Temple in Puri: according to local tradition, rasagola is offered to the goddess Lakshmi in one of the rites that conclude the Ratha Yatra chariot festival. How old this custom is has not been established for certain. Another local sweet is chhena poda, baked chhena with sugar and a caramelised crust.
In 2019 India registered the geographical indication “Odisha Rasagola”, separately from the Bengali version. The sweet itself remains a shared heritage of the region. The milk for sweets here comes mainly from cows and buffaloes.
How it connects to milk
🧑🤝🧑 Odia → live in → 🌍 South Asia ← milked in ← 🐃 Water buffalo → gives → 🥛 Milk
Links
- Where they live
- 🌍 South Asia
- Traditions
- 🧀 Chhena
- Traditional products
- ⚪ Rasgulla
Frequently asked questions
What is chhena poda?
A sweet from Odisha: chhena is mixed with sugar and baked until it forms a caramelised crust.
When did Odisha get a geographical indication for rasagola?
In 2019, under the name “Odisha Rasagola”.
How is rasagola connected to the temple in Puri?
According to local tradition, it is offered to the goddess Lakshmi in one of the rites that conclude the Ratha Yatra chariot festival.
Similar
🧑🤝🧑 Bengalis · 🧑🤝🧑 Punjabis · 🧑🤝🧑 Marathi · 🧑🤝🧑 Gujaratis · 🧑🤝🧑 Indians
ℹ️ This page describes the people only through food: what they grow and make, and which foods and drinks matter in their traditions. History, language, religion and other parts of the culture are not covered here.
What it includes
- Traditional products