Trends in Biosciences 10(45), Print : ISSN 0974-8431, 9207-9210, 2017

REVIEW PAPER

Traditional Fermented Food and Drinks of Western OrissaSAROJINI PADHAN

AES College, Tarbhaemail: sarojinibbau@gmail.com

ABSTRACTFermented foods arise in the human relationship to themicrobial environment. Human survival is connected toyeasts and bacteria that produce lactic acid and alcohol inpreserved foods. The people in Orissa, like many otherstates in India, have a tradition of relishing a variety ofcakes locally called as pitha, specially prepared duringvarious festivals and rituals. Some of these foods areprepared from cereal-legume batters. These productincludes Chakuli, enduri pitha, podo pitha and bara pithawhich are unknown to the scientific community. Otherfermented food which the people of Orissa consumed isBasi pej, tentuli bata (Tamarindus indica Linn.) andHendua cake (Dendrocalamus strictus Nees) andFermented liquors included Pendum, and Salap which areconsidered as the most nutritious liquor of Orissa peopleand have been consumed as a regular food over a longperiod of time. In the study, all these foods and liquor aredescribed with respect to the nature of product, method ofpreparation, mode of consumption and ethnic values.

Key words Salap, traditional, fermented liquor, Pitha

A food is considered fermented when one or more ofits constituents have been acted upon by microorgan­ismsto produce a considerably altered product ac­ceptable forhuman use. Food fermentation represents one of the oldestknown uses of biotechnology and the main advantages offood fermentation can be categorized as follows. Foodfermentation develops a diversity of appealing exteriors,textures, aromas and flavours in food substrates. Theincreasing popularity of different types of e.g., fermentedmilks has as much to do with different textures that arecreated during the fermentation, as with significant flavourchanges. The formation of diacetyl by heterofermentativelactic acid bacteria in fermentations of yoghurt and butteris not only important as a major flavour component, but itmay also help inhibit less desirable microorganisms.

Food fermentations not only enrich the foodsubstrates with protein, essential amino acids and fattyacids, but also with vitamins. Biosynthesis of B vitamins infood fermentations has been recognized to be of majornutritional significance, especially in the area where high-carbohydrate diets, particularly maize and sorghum dietscan be deficient in essential B vitamins. Food fermentationsalso have functions in digestibility, bio-availability, anddetoxification. Fermented foods generally have a very goodsafety record even in the developing world where foodsare often manufactured by people without formal training,and under conditions of poor hygiene. (Padhan S, 2017)

Traditional or indigenous fermented foods are thosepopular products, that since early history have formed an

integral part of the diet and that can be prepared in thehousehold or in cot­tage industry using relatively simpletechniques and equipment”. The origins of mostfermentation tech­nologies have been lost in the mists ofhistory. Many fermented foods are now receiving worldattention for their health-promoting or disease-preventingeffects. Fermentation improves pulse digestibility forhumans. The process can detoxify pulses by reducinghaemag­glutinin, phytate, oligosaccharides and trypsininhibi­tors. Other attributes are improved flavour, nutritionalvalue, appearance and reduced cooking time. In somefermented products containing spices and salt, the keepingquality is considerably enhanced. Fermented foods providevariety in the diet (Padhan S, 2014)

Although several legume-based fermented foods, likeidli, dosa, dhokla, khaman, wadi and Papad from differentparts of India have been well studied and even several ofthese are scaled-up. There is no documentation on similarfoods, Indige­nous to the state of Orissa. Therefore theobjective of this study is to look for legume-based fermentedfoods and different liquors consumed by the WesternOrissa people, if any, Practiced traditionally in Orissa.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThe documentation study was carried out in villages

of different district like Sambalpur, Balangir, Nuapada andKalahandi of Western Orissa. From each of the district twovillages were purposively studied. The idea here was todocument the traditional knowledge associated withindigenous fermented foods preparation processes in stepby step. It is important to note here that the legume basedand plant materials traditionally used were taxonomicallyidentified and the local name of those materials alsoincluded. Traditional methods of preparation, modes ofconsumption, shelf life and ethnic value of legume­ basedfermented foods were studied and the local people werestudied through a well-structured pre-tested Performa, andby personal interview method.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONSome important steps of preparation of differ­ent

types of legume-based fermented foods, plant product andfermented liquor tradition­ally practiced in Orissa arepresented. As all these foods are delicious and easilydigestible, these are also suitable for ailing person, pre- orpost-natal women and children. These foods, prepared andcon­sumed by all the communities irrespective of caste andcreed, are described below.Podo pitha: During the preparation of podo pitha, Kang(Panicum sumatrense Roth ex Roem. & Schult.), and Kushla(Panicum vulgare) mixed are grinded and left for 5-7 hoursto ferment. Then the fermented batter is mixed with mincedcoconut, raisins, cashew nuts and sugar. Pre heat the pan

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for 10 minutes and grease it with ghee. Pour the paste intothe tray and keep it on the fire. The batter is then coveredall round with hot charcoal and Keep the pan very hot for30 minutes. Then keep it moderately hot for 30 minutes. Itshould be checked with a needle and when its colour isgolden brown the Poda Pitha is ready to eat. Then removethe whole Poda Pitha (cake) from the fire and allow it tocool down. Cut it into small pieces and serve it with anychutney preferably with coconut chutney. It is preparedduring different festivals including bijaya dashamifestivals.Enduri pitha: Endure pitha is a steamed flavored cake,prepared by taking the fermented batter (as done for making

chakuli) in a turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) leaf and foldingthe leaf through oven. It is also stuffed with coconut, dahi-chhena and sugar fillings. The batter-filled folded leavesare then cooked over steam. Its shelf life and mode ofconsumption is similar to that of chhuchipatra pitha.Prathama astami is the festival during which enduri pithais prepared.Chakuli: Chakuli, which resembles dosa, is a round, friedpancake. It is prepared (fig.1) from varying proportions ofpar-boiled rice (Oryza sativa L.) and black gram (PhaseolusmungoL.). A little amount of boiled rice may be added, andblackgram may be substituted with juice of jack fruit(Articarpus heterophyllus Lam.) or palmyra palm (Borassus

Par-boiled rice Blackgram

Water Water

Soaked Soaked

Water Water Hulls

Sun dried briefly Rubbed

Ground Ground

Sieved Beaten

Fine powder Smooth batter

Luke warm water Salt

Left under cover

Fermented batter

Fried over a hot greased pan

Chakuli

Fig. 1. Flow chart showing production of chakuli

PADHAN, Traditional Fermented Food and Drinks of Western Orissa 9209

flabellifer L.) fruit during summer.Chakuli is taken as breakfast food or snacks with a varietyof side dishes including sambar, sugar, jiggery, tea, milk,vegetable curry, or even without any side dish. Though theshelf life of chakuli is one day, they are consumed hot andfresh for optimum delicacy. It is prepared during all thefestivals.Bara pitha: Bara pitha is prepared by mixing the fermentedbatter (as prepared in making chakuli) with sugar and gratedcoconut. The pan is heated with oil. Small ball are preparedand added in the oil one by one. More than 15 small ballsare deep fried at a time. It is fried on a low heat and deepfrying method is used for frying. Although it has a shelf lifeof one day, bara pitha is delicious when taken fresh andhot. Generally it is taken with sugar syrup and tea. Bara isprepared in popular festivals like, makara sakranti andNuakhai.Fermented rice (Basi pej): The cooked rice is ferment withrice soup for whole night. The food gets ferment. Then add

salt, curd/lemon and chili pieces in the fermented food. Addonion pieces into the dish. It is ready to eat. Basi pej mainlyis the poor’s people diet and it is tastier during summerseason. A good flavor is developing due to fermentationand easy to digest.Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus Nees), Kardi: Shoot tipsof youngling bamboo collected, sliced into pieces are calledKardi. These pieces are dipped in water for a day forfermentation and consumption. After a day of fermentation,the bitterness is washed off and further cooked. It is alsosometimes pounded in stone mortar and pestle and sundried. It is locally called as Hendua, which is taken as acurry throughout the year. It is also used as a medicineagainst any digestive problem, particularly againstconstipation. The important Hendua producing sites inWestern Orissa are mostly in the hills and have beenlocalized according to the abundency of the raw material.Mahua flowers (Madhuca indica J.F.Gmel.), Mahul chaki:Wild flowers are dried under the sun and are stored for

Bara pitha Podo pitha

Fermented rice (Basi pej) Salap (Caryota urens Linn.)

Madhuca indica J.F.Gmel. Dendrocalamus strictus Nees Fig. 2. Traditional food products

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further use as food. Dried flowers are soaked in water,rubbed to separate the outer flower skins, boiled till watergets totally dried up and leave it for fermentation and storedfor consumption.

Salap (Caryota urens Linn.)Salap tree

Pricked with a stick (top of the tree)

Hang a pot

Liquid dribbles down

Collected in the pot

Rice is added to speed up fermentation

Liquid is gathered in pot

Remove the liquid from pot in an interval of 4-5 days

Salap

Fig. 3. Flow chart showing Salap production

Salap is the most favorite drink of the Western Orissapeople. The people consume salap for refresh their mood.

CONCLUSIONTraditional fermented foods and liquors of Western

Orissa are prepared at the household level through theindigenous practices of food processing and preservation.There is a need of awareness about basic hygienicknowledge of production for good manufacturing practices(GMP) and safety of the marketed food products as perHACCP system are the major issues to be focused withimmediate attention. To provide the increasing globalpopulation with a source of protein other than meat is aworldwide challenge. Alternative sources are legumes andcereals. But plant protein by itself often lacks desirableflavours. In Western Orissa, fermented food and drinks areone of the most important traditional products consumed

during festivals and ceremony. Throughout history, theWestern Orissa people seemed to follow their own ways indeveloping the product without outside influences.Although a pure culture method for preparing pitha andliquor has been developed, further studies are still neededto guarantee uniform high quality products. If innovationsin taste, flavour and product quality are made, pitha anddifferent liquor may become more widely popular all overthe world. There has been a growing interest world over toexplore search and collect microbial germplasm in search ofgene pool, which can help biotechnologist to develop valueadded products for human welfare.

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Received on 21-11-2017 Accepted on 02-12-2017