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| Fara(Phara)~Chhattisgarh Cuisine |
Today we see Chhattisgarh on our Blogging Marathon journey round India, a state in Central India.
There are beliefs that Chhattisgarh takes its name from
the 36 pillars of Chhatishgarhin
Devi temple (chhattis means "36" and garh means "fort") or that it is the corrupted form of Chedisgarh which means Raj or "Empire of the Chedis" (Kalchuri
Dynasty).
The states northern and southern parts
of the state are hilly, while the central part is a fertile plain. The central part of
the state lies in the fertile upper basin of the Mahanadi River and its
tributaries. This area has extensive rice cultivation. The rivers
make The State of Chhattisgarh is known as the rice bowl of Central India and
has a rich tradition of food culture.
Most of the traditional and
tribal foods are made of rice and rice flour, curd and a variety of green leafy
vegetables like lal bhaaji, chowlai bhaji, chech bhaji, kaanda bhaji, kochai
patta, kohda and bohar bhaji.
Badi and Bijori are optional food
categories; gulgula (bobra), bidiya, dhoodh fara, bafauli, kusli, balooshahi
and khurmi fall in sweet categories.
Some famous breakfast dishes made
out of rice & rice flour include fara/muthiya (rice rolls in white sauce),
angakar roti, chousera roti (rice puri's),etc. One of the common meal had
during the scorching summer is Bore Baasi (literally means dipped rice from
last cooked meal) which mainly consists of cooked rice dipped
water/dahi/buttermilk. It is mostly accompanied by pickle and raw onion. It
helps maintain the water levels in the body, keeping it cool and hydrated
during the hot and arid summer days.
The tribal and village population
enjoys delicacy brew made of small, creamy white fruit of a local tree called
Mahuwa.
