Mrunal Manmay Dash

The sweet and succulent Chhenapoda, which has tickled the taste bud of every Odia, has a reason to smile at itself today. It's its birthday.

Yes, it is Chhenapoda Dibasa today, the birthday of the sweet dish which is celebrated on the birth anniversary of its creator, Sudarshan Sahu.

Born on April 11, 1931, Sahu had his ancestral origins in Satapatana village under Nayagarh's Dasapalla block. He moved out of his village and set up a small hotel, rather a sweet stall in the heart of Nayagarh town in 1947 and started his business. He made Nayagarh his home and settled in the Kacheri Bazaar area where he lived till he breathed his last on November 23, 2016.

Making Chhena Poda is very easy. You will be surprised by the simplicity and the utter ease in the recipe. Unlike other baking recipes which involve two to three steps, this one is a one-bowl recipe. One cannot go wrong when making this delicious paneer cake. That is the hallmark of this sweet dish.

In fact, Chhenapoda was created by Sahu out of sheer improvisation. He wanted a way to use the leftover Chhena or cottage cheese, which was getting bad overnight and added to his loss in business. So he devised a plan and baked the leftover cottage cheese in earthen stove (Chulha) after mixing it with sugar. Though the outcome was tasty, it was a bit hard in texture. So in order to make it softer, Sahu decided to add some Suji to the mix and voila, the result was even better. He did not stop there and experimented by adding cardamom powder, cashews and raisins in the dough. Thus the delicious and mouthwatering Chhenapoda came into being.

As Sahu's son, Suman Sahu, would term it, "My father was obsessed with quality of the sweet dish. He wouldn't compromise it for anything. My father's Chhenapoda became so famous that it travelled to the mouth of then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Neheru. He tasted it for the first time when he was in Odisha and heaped praises on him."

Sharing an interesting anecdote with OTV, Suman said, "Chhenapoda became an instant success and was regarded as the ultimate sweet dish one can have. So much so that my father even bribed the Sales Tax officers with Chhenapoda and not money and they were happy to oblige."

The baked sweet reached the palates of Chief Minister Biju Patnaik through Sudarshan's relative Rajkishore, who was the cashier of Patnaik and went on to establish the famous Rajmahal Hotel in Bhubaneswar later.

However, as the quality of chhena deteriorated, Sudarshan shut down his business and switched to electronics and home appliances in late 80's. "As the quality of the Chhena, the primary ingredient in Chhenapoda, fell over time, my father could not take it and he shut down the business but not before passing the recipe to other sweet makers in the town," rued Suman.

Thus the legacy of Sudarshan Sahu was carried on from generation to generation. As the sweet dish was gradually accepted in almost all households of Odisha and even in some parts of the world beyond the State, some home grown brands like Milky Moo (Milk Mantra) have made it a point to cash in on its reach into Odisha households.

Speaking exclusively to odishatv.in, MD & CEO of Milk Mantra, Sandipan Ghosh said, “Odisha's quintessential Chhenapoda is loved by all and people love to carry it when they travel. However, due to poor packaging and hygiene, the true taste of Chhenapoda is often compromised. In 2018, we launched Chhenapoda, followed by Chocolate Chhenapoda in 2020. Crafted for the contemporary consumers, while preserving the traditional method of baking soft cottage wrapped in sal leaves, Milky Moo Chhenapoda comes in individual peel-able vacuum packs, without any preservatives that ensures they retain the unique fresh taste with an extended shelf life. They are also low in sugar making it a perfect choice for calorie and health conscious individuals.”

“With our packaging innovation, perfect taste & increased shelf life, Milky Moo Chhenapoda is loved by our discerning consumers, in Odisha and beyond. In fact, it is one the most loved products in Kolkata as well,” Ghosh added.

It will be safe to say as long as there are sweet teeth, Chhenapoda will continue to be savoured with utmost delight. There is just one thing left to be done and it is the Geographical Indications (GI) tag, which will make Chhenapoda unique to Odisha and would be a fitting tribute to Sudarshan Sahu.

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