To know about the history, geography,
economical status and culture of the state of Bihar one can take a look at
its cuisine. Food habits of Bihar shows how the cuisine of the state has
evolved over centuries under the influence of various cultures and regimes
which controlled it from time to time.
Lord Buddha attained enlightenment in Bihar and hence the impact of
Buddhism is significant of the state.
People are largely vegetarian though many are fond of chicken and meat
dishes. Bihar has also been under the reign of mighty Moghuls and naturally
the exotic Mughal cuisine affected the Bihar style of cooking and the taste
of the inhabitants of the state. Remarkable factor of the Bihari cuisine is
that the state has imbibed the best and most suitable aspects of the Gupta,
Maurayan, Turk, Afghan, Persion and European style of cooking and at the
same time retained a food culture that bears a distinct hallmark of Bihar.
Wheat and rice are the staple food of Bihar and Jharkhand (Jharkhand was
till recently a part of Bihar and shares food habits with its parent state).
Vegetables are grown in abundance and cooked in a variety. A regular Bihari
meal consists of dal, bhat (rice), phulka (roti), tarkari (sabzi) and achar
(pickles). But as the seasons change so does the Bihari thali. It is said
that just as the seasons change four times in a year, so does the contents
of the Bihari meals.
Striking feature of Bihari cuisine is their '
chhonkna'
(tadka) with '
panchforan' (a mix of five seeds - saunf,
sarson, methi, ajwain and mangraila). People here are very fond of doing '
bhoonjana'
to food items, this implies light frying. Dishes are generally very spicy
and colourful. Mainly mustard oil is used as a medium of cooking.
Dishes and drinks made from energy rich,
sattu
(powdered gram) are popular all over the country. Food habits differs in
various regions of the state. Tribals which constitute a significant
percentage of the state population have their own style of cooking food.
Mahua flour, maize, millets and edible roots and tubers are are the chief
ingredients of a typical tribal meal in Chhotanagpur area.
