Thursday 7 March 2013

Pitha - A simple hearty traditional winter delight

Made out of rice flour and milk, Pitha is a popular winter dessert of Bihar cuisine. Mostly made in the months of December, January and February after rice harvesting season. In fact the traditional method of cultivating rice, rather planting and transplanting is a labor-intensive, back breaking job, literally. After rice is harvested, it’s threshed and the ‘dhaan’ obtained is spread in the sun to dry. Once it’s dried, it’s put in hot water, then drained, dried again and then taken to the mill to remove the husks. The rice obtained is termed as ‘isra’ or ‘arwa’ rice. The only differentiation is the procedure of immersing rice in hot water. If it is put in hot water it becomes isra. If this step is omitted, it becomes arwa.
Dhaan drying on the terrace

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