Bihari society is not significantly vegetarian and eating of meat is common. However, people discourage eating meat daily and many Hindus don't eat meat on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The main meat items preferred are fish, chicken and goat meat. Many Hindus and Muslims considers Lamb's Mutton as offensive.
[citation needed][dubious – discuss] In Bihar people generally have boiled rice,
daal and
sabzi (vegetables) in lunch.
Roti is usually served for dinner as against lunch. The traditional cooking medium is
mustard oil.
Khichdi, a broth of rice and lentils seasoned with spices and served with several accompanying items, constitutes the mid-day meal for most Hindu Biharis on Saturdays. The favourite dish among Biharis is litti-chokha. Litti is made up of dough stuffed with sattu (ground powder coming from roasted brown chickpeas) then boiled in water. It is then fried in oil, but little oil is used since it has been pre-boiled. The other way of cooking Litti is grilling it on red hot coal. Chokha is made of mashed potatoes, fried onions, salt, cilantro, and carrom seeds. Chokha of brinjal is also famous. Litti is also accompanied with
ghee and channa (small brown chickpeas with onions and
masala).
Chitba and Pitthow which are prepared basically from rice, are special foods of the Anga region.
Tilba and Chewda of Katarni rice are also special preparations of
Anga. Kadhi bari is a popular favorite and consists of fried soft dumplings made of besan (
gram flour) that are cooked in a spicy gravy of
yogurt and besan. This dish goes very well with plain rice. In snacks kachri - bhuja and murhi - kachri - jalebi is famous in most of families. Out of Bihar bhuja is called bhel - puri. kachri is made by mixing besan and onion with spices and chilli, and then fried in oil.
Bihar offers a large variety of sweet delicacies which, unlike those from
Bengal, are mostly dry. These include Anarasa, Belgrami, Chena Murki, Motichoor ke Laddoo,
Kala Jamun, Kesaria Peda,
Khaja,
Khurma, Khubi ki Lai, Laktho, Parwal ki Mithai, Pua & Mal Pua,
Thekua,
Murabba and
Tilkut. Tilkut and Anarsa from Gaya is quite famous and Lai from Dhanarua is also famous. Gurahi Laddu is also famous from
Bhabua. Many of these originate in towns in the vicinity of
Patna. Several other traditional salted snacks and savories popular in Bihar are Chiwra, Dhuska, Litti,
Makhana and
Sattu.
Khaja from Silaw,
Nalanda is very famous in the state.
There is a distinctive Bihari flavor to the non-vegetarian cuisine as well, although some of the names of the dishes may be the same as those found in other parts of North India. Roll is a typical Bihari non-vegetarian dish. These are popular and go by the generic name Roll Bihari in and around Lexington Avenue (South) in New York City. There is a very popular non-vegetarian dish called Tash, made by frying marinated mutton and eaten with Chewra, the flattened rice. This particular dish is popular in Motihari and Bettiah. Fish Curry cooked in mustard paste with Rice (maaach-bhaat) is also a popular dish in non-vegetarian Maithili homes.
Islamic culture and food, with Bihari flavor are also part of Bihar's unique confluence of cultures. Famous food items include Biharee Kabab, Shami Kabab, Nargisi Kufte, Shabdeg, Yakhnee Biryanee, Motton Biryani, Shaljum Gosht, Baqer Khani, Kuleecha, Naan Rootee, Sawee ka Zarda, Qemamee Sawee, Gajar ka Halwa and Ande ka Zafrani Halwa among many others.
Cuisine of Mithila Region
There is a custom of eating
Boiled Rice based lunch and
Roti based dinner and breakfast. The food culture is both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. People from Mithilanchal enjoy both veg as well as non-veg dishes and cuisine of Mithilanchal area is unique in its own way.
Machchak Jhor is a special fish curry made in mustard paste and is a preparation from Mithila.
Maus is generally mutton or chicken or squails (tittar/battair) in a spicy gravy and is generally enjoyed with malpuas.
Kankorak Chokha is a Mashed preparation of Crab (Kankor) after roasting the crab.
Dokak Jhor generally are Oysters stew cooked with Onion gravy.
Chitba (a flour and sugar pancake) and Pitthow, which is prepared basically from rice, are special foods of the Anga region. Tilba and(choora) of Katarni rice are also special preparations of Anga.
Kadhi bari is a popular favorite and consists of fried soft dumplings made of besan (gram flour) that are cooked in a spicy gravy of yogurt and besan. This dish goes very well with plain rice. People also enjoy eating Chura or Chiwda (beaten rice) with yogurt and sugar. Arikanchanak Tarkari is a preparation of Marinated sun dried Colocasia leaves, steamed and cooked in mustard gravy and is a famous maithil dish,Daail-Jhinguni (Fried Ribbed Gourd cooked with Lentil and cereals), Ramruch is a besan based dish unique to Mithila region,Goidila (a sauce prepared from green peas & flavourings) and is generally had with rice or rotis.
The service style of the cuisine has little similarity with that of “Tabal d’ hote” (Table of the Host) of French, yet different being all preparations served together in a platter and consumed at once. Since there is no course wise meal practice therefore there is no well defined Gastronomique practice too, and hence people give equal importance to all kind of preparations and take pleasure in enjoying each n every delicacies to the fullest. Unlike others Maithils enjoy both the quality and quantity of the food and this is the characteristics that differentiates the cuisine and people from others. The best manifestation of this seen in any Traditional Maithil wedding (considered to be a very classical marriage ceremony ever in any culture). Maithils always give immense priority to milk products in their food which could perfectly be measured with this old saying “ Aadi Ghee aur Ant Dahi, oyi Bhojan k Bhojan kahi” (A meal is the Meal that starts with Ghee and ends with Yogurt). The meal practice in mithilanchal is as common as the normal food habit of people which is Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. People also like enjoying some tit bits during evening with a cup of tea. The best breakfast time favorite is “Chura – Dahi” (beaten rice with a thick coating of creamy curd) the table condiments used is salt, green chillies and home made pickles, a spicy mixed vegetable item could also be served along with this item as a side dish. During summer the same Chura is consumed with best quality mango pulp, and the dish is called “Chura Aam” . “Poori – Aloo dum” is an another breakfast item that people like having along with a sweet dish “Jalebi” (roundels of deep fried fermented flour batter dipped in sugar syrup). Apart from that there are several other items like Chini wala Roti, Chilha (pan cake made out of flour batter), Suzi k halwa(porridge prepared from semolina), etc. which is preferred for the breakfast. For evening snacks a range of Bhujas are consumed likeChura ka Bhuja (beaten rice shallow fried with sliced onion, chopped green chillies and green peas), Makai ke Lawa (Pop corns),Masalgar Murhi (Rice pops mixed with chopped green chillies, Onion, coriander leaf, salt and few drops of mustard oil) etc. Maithils are also a big time sweet lovers. Varieties of Kheer and other sweet item is prepared as a dessert course. One of the famous among them is Makhanaak Kheer (a sweet dish prepared with Lotus seed, Milk and Dry nuts).and Litti Chokha is also Malpua is another popular sweet item, which is much different from the malpua prepared in north India, both are prepared from the flour batter only but in north India after deep frying malpua is dipped in sugar syrup while in Mithilanchal the batter itself is sweetened and it is a dry preparation which could be stored for 2–3 days. There are also sweet preservatives made out of fruit pulps like Ammath (layered mango pulp sundried and cut into small chunks), Kumhar ke murabba, Papita ke murabba, Dhatrikak murabba etc. The introduction about Mithila Cuisine would remain incomplete without a reference on Paan (betel leaves). According to an old saying Paan, Maach and Makhan (betel leaves, fish and lotus seed) is not found even in the paradise, so one should enjoy these things on earth only so not to regret later. A sweet betel leaf is flavoured with sweet fennel, cardamom, clove, rose petals, sugar crystal and other seasoning, which is taken after completion of the meal.
