With Bali Yatra going on in full swing in Cuttack, a variety of food stalls are attracting footfalls in the fair. Among them, the stalls selling Odia traditional food have become the centre of attraction for the food connoisseurs.
As per reports, around 90 women of Maa Mahalakshmi Mahila Mission Shakti in Cuttack are preparing and selling the traditional pancakes (Pitha) of Odia households. From Kakra to Arisa, Manda, Chakuli; more than 142 types of these cakes are being enjoyed by the visitors.
“We have prepared Dasapura Manda Pitha which is offered to Maa Laxmi. Apart from that, we are selling a special Annapurna Thali too which has a lot of food items native to Odisha,” said a member of the Mahalakshmi Mission Shakti group.
The visitors seemed to be enjoying the food as well.
“I ate the pitha here at this stall. It was delicious. It has nowadays become a fashion to eat fast food and people are forgetting our traditional food. This is a very good initiative by the Mission Shakti group to provide typical Odia food to us,” said a visitor at Bali Yatra.
“Apart from Pitha, there is ‘Naivedya’ too, which is rare to find anywhere in Odisha. While pitha is prepared in almost every religious household in Odisha, I am very happy to taste ‘Naivedya’ here at Bali Yatra,” said another visitor.
The historic Bali Yatra which started on November 27 will continue till December 4.