Among its many gastronomic treasures, the Bhojpuri cuisine stands tall — a vibrant, earthy, and deeply rooted culinary tradition that speaks of the land’s agricultural bounty, cultural resilience, and culinary ingenuity

Bihar was called Magadha in ancient times, with its current capital of Patna known as Pataliputra. It was, according to many records, one of the first empires built in India — and attributed to the Nanda dynasty. The legacy of the state is second to none with names of one of the greatest dynasties — the Mauryan dynasty, one of the greatest universities of all times — Nalanda, and one of the most prolific religions of the world — Buddhism, all of which had their beginnings in this iconic state of India. There is another regional gem that has made a significant contribution to our history, particularly that of Indian cuisine, and shines through on the Indian culinary map: Bihari food! It’s like no other, with its repertoire being way beyond Litti Chokha (Litti is a spicy roasted dumpling prepared with roasted gram flour and spices, and Chokha is baked brinjal and potato mash with a lot of garlic and coriander), Dal Pitha (Pitha is made with rice flour dough and filled with a spicy lentil mixture; the lentils are cooked into a paste, mixed with spices, stuffed into dough and finally steamed or boiled) and Sattu Paratha (Sattu, i.e. Bengal Gram Flour blended with flavours and filled in wheat balls, then rolled and cooked with ghee; the ensuing Sattu Paratha is called Makuni). Such is the region’s culinary legacy that it’s impossible to do justice in a single write-up; therefore, in this piece, I will focus on the Bhojpuri cuisine — an integral, flavourful and absolutely delicious offering from the state. Bhojpuri cuisine is spread across Bihar, parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand (part of Bihar till 2000) along with the Terai region........

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