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Indian · regional cuisine

Bihari (with Jharkhand)

Plain-spoken Gangetic farm food: sattu, litti chokha, mustard oil, thekua and the sealed-pot Champaran mutton, with Mithila's fish and makhana and Jharkhand's Adivasi cooking alongside.

Flavour character: Earthy and smoky: mustard oil, garlic, roasted spices, ajwain and nigella in sattu fillings, charred vegetables in chokha, and whole-garlic-and-mustard-oil richness in Champaran meat.

8 recipes

History

Bihar's cooking grew from the rice-and-wheat farming of the middle Ganges plain, home of the ancient kingdom of Magadha. Sattu (roasted gram flour), which needs no cooking, made a portable, filling food for farmers and migrant workers. Chhath Puja, the sun-worship festival, keeps thekua and kharna kheer at the centre of the year. Mithila (north Bihar) is known for fish and fox nuts (makhana), and Mithila makhana received a GI tag. Jharkhand was separated from Bihar in 2000; its Adivasi communities (Santhal, Munda, Oraon, Ho) have distinct forest-based food.

Well documented

Geography and influences

Flat, fertile, flood-prone Ganges plain with rivers such as the Kosi and Gandak; Jharkhand to the south is a forested plateau (Chota Nagpur) rich in minerals and wild foods.

  • Magadha and Mithila agrarian traditions
  • Bhojpuri, Magahi, Maithili and Angika regional cultures
  • Mughal-era Patna
  • Adivasi cooking in Jharkhand

Regional variations

Bhojpur (west)
Litti chokha, sattu, Champaran meat (handi mutton) from the north-west.
Mithila (north)
Fish, makhana, panch phoron and mustard; tarua fritters; Maithil feasts.
Magadh (Gaya, Patna)
Tilkut, khaja, anarsa, Patna's Mughal-era meat dishes.
Jharkhand (Adivasi)
Dhuska, chilka roti, rugra (monsoon mushrooms), bamboo shoot, red-ant chutney and rice beer; distinct from Bihari plains cooking.

Festive and seasonal food

  • Chhath Puja: thekua, rasiao (jaggery rice kheer) and puri on Kharna, seasonal fruit offerings; cooked without onion or garlic
  • Makar Sankranti: dahi chura with jaggery, tilkut, and khichdi in the evening
  • Holi: malpua, dahi bada and meat
  • Jharkhand: Sarhul and Karma festivals with rice beer (handia) and seasonal forest foods

Signature dishes

Not on the site yet: Litti chokha, Thekua, Dal pitha, Khaja (Silao), Tilkut (Gaya), Anarsa, Dahi chura, Makhana kheer, Sattu paratha, Kadhi bari, Malpua, Dhuska (Jharkhand), Rugra mushroom curry (Jharkhand)

Bihari (with Jharkhand) recipes