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Puri, located in Odisha, is a coastal city situated on the Bay of Bengal. Puri is home to the Jagannath temple, which is one of the char dham pilgrimage sites for Hindus. This sacred city, also known as Sri Kshetra, has a diverse list of the best foods in Puri to try. These are predominantly vegetarian because of the strict religious and cultural practices followed here. The food is known to be very authentic and especially made of rice, lentils, and various vegetables with less oil and minimal spices that highlight the natural flavours.
10 Best Food In Puri
One of the most ancient and authentic cuisines with unique flavours, try these 10 best foods in Puri and relish:
1. Khicede
Photo: Miansari66 / Wikimedia Commons
Khicede is a famous dish served, especially in the Puri temple, with a twist of Indian khichdi added. It is served in the temple as a part of the Mahabhog, which is made for Lord Jagannath. This is a famous food in Puri that is prepared by mixing rice and lentils, cooked in pure ghee, which is considered to be very delicious and healthy. To add some flavour to this food, coconut, sugar and cinnamon are added. It is served with papad and curd as a meal, which is a great combination with this item.
Best Place To Eat: Jagannath Temple
Best Known For: Mahabhog to Lord Jagannath
Suggested Read: Your Guide Through The Different Flavours Of Best Street Foods In Puri
2. Dalma
Photo: Chiring chandan / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
Dalma is a city-special dish that became very popular after Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam added it to his president’s food menu. This dish is prepared by cooking a mix of lentils, chickpeas, raw papaya potatoes, masalas and various other vegetables. Being rich in proteins, it is also known that this dish was a gift from the Savaras who were the first to worship Lord Jagannath. Dalma is known to be very delicious and to know the flavours of Puri, this dish is recommended.
Best Place To Eat: Dalma restaurant, VIP road
Best Known For: Flavourful with minimal spices gifted by the Savaras
3. Malpua
Photo: Biswarup Ganguly / Wikimedia Commons
Malpua is a famous sweet served in the morning to Lord Jagannath at the Puri temple. The malpuas in Puri are famous because they are cooked very differently from the rest of the country. The main ingredients used in malpua of Puri are bananas, pineapple, mangoes, cardamoms, fennel seeds, all purpose flour, coconut and milk. All of them form a sweet mixture that not only smells sweet but also melts in one’s mouth. Malpua is eaten as a breakfast or snack in the afternoon, especially with tea in the city.
Best Place To Eat: Original Nrusingha Sweets
Best Known For: Cooked in a unique style different from the rest of India
Suggested Read: Savor The Flavors Of Street Food In Bhubaneswar
4. Abadha
Photo: Lopanayak / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
Abadha is thali served at the Puri temple, which has all the dishes from the Mahaprasad that is served to Lord Jagannath. This thali includes various local cuisines from Puri. It is also recommended to try Abadha in Anand bazar, which also provides authentic thali served with local food items. The items in the thali include raita, which is a yoga dash with radish cucumber salt and curd, besan, which is vegetable curry with lots of coconut and mustard paste. It also has saga, which is made with green leafy vegetables like spinach, koshala and letuia that are seasoned with garlic.
Best Place To Eat: Jagannath Temple
Best Known For: As an authentic dish of Odisha
5. Chenna Poda
Photo: Subhransuphotography / Wikimedia Commons
Chenna Poda is a festival special that is also known to be the favourite sweet dish of Lord Jagannath. It is cooked for several hours at homes and food stalls, especially during special occasions and festivals. This dish is entirely made from cottage cheese as well as caramelised sugar, along with many other items like sugar semolina, cardamom, cashew nuts and raisins that are baked for several hours. It takes a lot of patience to prepare this dish and it is also one of the must-try food items in Puri. This dish is especially served at the Mahabhog in the temple.
Best Place To Eat: Sweet shops around Jagannath temple
Best Known For: Favourite dish of Lord Jagannath prepared during festivals
Suggested Read: Best Food In Bhubaneswar
6. Pakhala Bhata
Photo: Subhransu / Wikimedia Commons
Pakhala Bhata is one of the most beloved dishes in Puri, and it has been there for many generations. The preparation of the dish is unique. It is prepared by cooking rice, which is soaked in water and partially fermented to bring out the natural nutritional benefits and flavours of it. This dish is almost found in every household everyday and it is mostly popular during the summer. People also add curd or yoghurt to this dish according to their preferences. It is served with various other street foods in Puri. Pakhala Bhat is known to have many cooling properties, which makes it a good option to control body heat.
Best Place To Eat: All around the city
Best Known For: A traditional dish that cools the body
7. Rasabali
Photo: Swetapadma07 / Wikimedia Commons
Rasabali is a sweet dish served in Puri that is made of farmer’s cheese and is deep-fried in oil until it turns red. It is cooked into a flat but rough dough so that it has enough space to soak in the milk, which is flavoured with cardamom seeds. This is a famous sweet dish served at the chappan bhog at the Jagannath temple and also available in various places in Puri. Rasabali is known to have originated in the Baladevjew temple in Kendrapara. He is the brother of Lord Jagannath. It is one of the dishes that is very ancient and included in the spiritually important cuisines.
Best Place To Eat: Jagannath Temple
Best Known For: Traditional dish offered to Lord Baladevjew
Suggested Read: Best Beaches In Odisha You Must Check Out On Your Next Trip
8. Santula
Photo: Subhashish Panigrahi / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
Santula is a healthy and delicious vegetarian curry that is served as a meal with rice or Indian bread. It is a healthy food cooked in Puri, which is made mostly with vegetables according to different taste buds. It is cooked with a little oil, spices and vegetables like potatoes, brinjal, pumpkin, papaya, tomatoes, onions, green chillies and panch phoran, which is either fried or boiled depending on the preferences. It is very nutritious and soupy in consistency, with only 5 spices included in it. It is a must-try especially for people with stomach disorders, because it is easy to digest and not very spicy, with many fresh vegetables added.
Best Place To Eat: Dalma restaurant, VIP road
Best Known For: A healthy dish, good for the stomach
9. Pitha
Photo: Manaswini sahu / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
Pitha is a sweet dish served in the coastal regions of the Bay of Bengal and in Puri. Pitha is made especially with rice flour and other items added according to preferences, like coconut, jaggery and lentils. This dish is usually prepared during festivals. There are various types of pitha served in Puri like arisa pitha, manda pitha, kakara pitha, enduri pitha, chakuli pitha, poda pitha and many more. These are sweet and savoury, with preferences like deep-fried, boiled and many more. This dish has a history of being served to two merchants and offered it to Lord Buddha as a token of respect from their land.
Best Place To Eat: Ama Puri Pitha
Best Known For: Sweet dish, which is one of the favourites of Lord Jagannath
Suggested Read: Top Sites For Camping In Puri
10. Kaja
Photo: Jit.roy.chowdhury / Wikimedia Commons
Khaja is a unique sweet served to Lord Jagannath as Chappan Bhog. It is prepared with chapathi like dough fried in concentric circles dipped in sugar with many flavours like cardamom, sugar and ghee in different layers of the spiralling flaky layers. It is a mouth watering dish served as Mahaprasad. It is also known as Feni, which represents Jagannath culture. This sweet is found in various shops throughout the city. It is also believed that due to its flaky texture which is very sweet, it is one of the favourite sweet dishes of lord Jagannath.
Best Place To Eat: Nrusingha Sweets
Best Known For: Texture and the taste of the sweet
There are many restaurants and local shops in Puri that provide amazing food items that are authentic and represent the culture of Odisha. There are many food items that are famously offered to Lord Jagannath and served in the temple. From sweets to main courses, there are varieties of the best food in Puri with natural flavours and nutritional elements. It is also known that most of the items in Puri are prepared with fewer spices, which is good for the stomach. Plan your trip to Puri with TripXL to explore the flavours of Odisha.
Cover Photo: Prachites / Wikimedia Commons
