Patna is a beautiful and largest city of Bihar and the 19th largest city in India. This city is the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and the “Takht Shri Patna Sahib” gurudwara is situated in Patna; it is a very popular gurudwara in India. Patna is home to many tourist attraction, and 41% of the total tourists visiting Bihar visit Patna. Everyone knows that the people of Patna are very good at Mathematics and calculations. Do you know Patna is also very famous for its food dishes? The foods in Patna are appetizing and palatable.
Bihari cuisine is a perfect combination of sweet and spicy dishes. You will find many desserts. The food here is very simple and based on ingredients like seasonal vegetables, pulses and spices. The food stalls, fast food centres and restaurants are always packed with visitors to relish the authentic dishes of Patna.
So, let’s begin the Patna food tour.
1. Ghugni
If you are looking for a famous Bihari snack, then ghugni is one among them. It is a snack prepared with black chickpeas sauteed green chillies, and cumin seeds in mustard oil. It is often served with puffed rice, onion bhajiyas and poori. Ghugni is also famous in Jharkhand, Assam, Tripura, Orissa, West Bengal and Tripura.
2. Sattu Sharbat
Sattu sharbat is a healthy drink and is especially served during summer. In Patna, sattu is very famous and widely consumed. Sattu sharbat is prepared with cold water, salt, mint leaves, lemon juice and sattu powder. The sattu powder is prepared by grinding the roasted Bengal gram into a fine powder. Sattu has amazing health benefits, like help in weight loss, improves digestion, makes skin glowing, good for diabetics, a good source of energy and hydrates body.
3. Litti Chokha
Litti chokha is a staple food of Patna. People often relate litti with batti, but both of them are totally different from each other. Litti chokha is prepared in two parts. Where litti is ghee dipped, roasted dough bowl made of wheat flour, sattu and salt dough, and stuffed with sattu filling. Whereas chokha is prepared with roasted eggplant, tomatoes mixed with potatoes, spices and herbs. Litti chokha is the most popular foods in Patna.
You can find the streets filled with litti chokha shop. In Patna, it is a famous breakfast dish.
4. Chandrakala
No Chandrakala is not a human name, but it is also a name of a sweet. Chandrakala was originated in Bihar and is a famous sweet in Patna. It is very similar to gujia. It is prepared with refined flour dough and dry fruits filling. The dough is shaped like a moon and then filled with a stuffing of almonds, cashew, semolina, pistachios, khoya, coconut, sugar, and raisins. It is called chandrakala because of its moon-like shape. Chandrakala means chandran.
5. Malpua
After ingesting chandrakala, it’s time to eat another dish of Patna, i.e. malpua. Malpua is another famous dessert in Patna. It is prepared and served during festivals like chaat pooja, Holi, and Diwali. Malpua is like a pancake, prepared with refined flour, semolina, and milk batter. Malpua batter is poured in hot oil, and it is crispy from the edges. Then it is dipped in thick sugar syrup. Other than Bihar, it is also very popular in Rajasthan, Orissa, Jharkhand, West Bengal and other parts of India.
6. Reshmi Kebab
This succulent dish is a favourite of Bihari folks. Reshmi kebab is prepared with mutton marinated in curd, cream, and spices. It is the most famous kebab in Patna. This reshmi kebab is a good competitor of Lucknow’s Galauti Kebab. So, if you are in Patna, then don’t forget to relish the scrumptious kebabs.
7. Laung Latika
This one is also a dessert from Patna. It is a deep-fried sweet, prepared in two parts, i.e. dough and filling. The dough is prepared with flour, milk, and oil. On the other hand, the filling is prepared with khoya, sugar and cardamom. This filling is stuffed inside a sure shaped dough piece, and clove is tucked on top to seal the dough. Laung Latika is fried and then soaked in sugar syrup. The taste of clove and sweet makes this sweet exceptionally tasty. It is called laung latika because, in Hindi, laung means clove.
8. Dal Peetha
Now, let’s head towards the food stalls to relish this authentic Bihari dish dal peetha. It is a traditionally Bihari dumpling prepared with rice flour dough shaped like a dumpling filled with lentils mixture prepared with boiled lentils, spices and pickles. Dal peetha is either steamed or fried. It is one of the best foods in Patna. Dal peetha is served as a breakfast dish in Patna.
9. Kesar Pedha
Pedhas are famous all over India. Mostly popular in Mathura, the pedhas has many variants. In Patna, kesar pedha is very famous. It is prepared with milk, saffron, sugar, and cardamom. It is very sweet in taste, and it is a must-have dish in Patna.
You can buy this famous kesar pedha from any local sweet shop.
In the end food tour in Patna is a must. These scrumptious food dishes have already made a fan of Patna’s street food. Litti chokha is now available in other parts of India also, but if you want to taste the traditional litti chokha, then you should taste it on the streets of Patna. The taste of Patna’s local sweets like Chandrakal and laung latika is as tasty as catchy its name is. Therefore, the foods in Patna are filled with flavours. You shouldn’t miss the chance of visiting Patna and ingesting its local food.
It always brings happiness when someone tastes the local and authentic foods of their country. Therefore, don’t stop your food tour and stay tuned with Karth Food Factory to learn new recipes every day and for food tours of different places.