Alka Jena describes The Orissan (published by Penguin Random House India) as a “conversation between two generations”. More than a conventional cookbook, this recently released coffee-table book celebrates Odisha’s rich gastronomic heritage by tracing traditions from temple kitchens, everyday families, and archival information. 

“We are often reduced to a handful of dishes or to the Jagannath tradition, when there is such incredible diversity within the State, from tribal food and temple cuisine to coastal produce, traditional crafts, festivals, architecture and the everyday lives of people,” says Alka, deputy director, Planning, Planning & Convergence Department, Government of Odisha, who has co-authored the book with father-daughter duo Sandip and Pallavi Das.  

The project began unexpectedly in the summer of 2023, with a PowerPoint presentation, says Pallavi, who is based in the US. “I had this idea, sat my father down and pitched it to him like an executive proposal. But even then, I knew I didn’t want to simply write a cookbook; I wanted The Orissan to be something beautiful enough to leave on a table, but meaningful enough to pass from one generation to another,” she says.

The 350-page book offers chapters dedicated to Odisha’s history, culture, temple foods, and recipes of starters, beverages, rice preparations, curries, festive puddings, and sweets. 

Bridging the gap

With Alka based in Bhubaneswar, Pallavi in New York, and Sandip in Gurugram, putting the book together involved multiple trips to Odisha, hours of research, and virtual meetings. “All of us being in different time zones, belonging to different generations, having different backgrounds and sensibilities has actually brought together a sense of perspective that bejewelled the book,” says Sandip, 68, who comes with decades of corporate experience.    

Pallavi adds, “My father brought history and his extraordinary curiosity about Odisha; Alka brought the knowledge of someone deeply immersed in its kitchens, ingredients and culinary traditions; and I often came to it as an Odia who had grown up largely outside Odisha, asking questions the diaspora might ask.” 

Pallavi adds, “I looked at books such as Dark Rye and Honey Cake, books about Assyrian food and migration, and even spaces like Maison Premiere, where food, interiors and storytelling create an entire world.” This stayed with her and also gave the team “permission to be playful with presentation”. “We could take something as familiar as ghugni and imagine it as picnic food, or explore ideas of farm-to-table eating that have actually existed in Odisha for generations without necessarily being called that,” says Pallavi. 

Odisha beyond food

While their journey as a team began on a Zoom call, things started taking shape when Pallavi visited Bhubaneswar in January 2025. “We began our mornings at Ananta Basudev Temple, the 13th-Century temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, where we spoke about the bhoga and prasad and the remarkable ecosystem that surrounds it,” says Alka, adding that Pallavi’s visit coincided with the Adivasi Mela, the annual exhibition celebrating the culture, crafts, and produce of Odisha’s tribal communities. 

“I then took her to Balakati, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, known for its traditional kansa or bell-metal craftsmanship; the Unit 4 Fish Market; Ekamra Art Gallery, where I introduced her to pattachitra; and visited several shops to get a taste of our sweets: Pahala rasagola, chhena poda, kora khai.”

“I grew up knowing the stories of Kalinga and our maritime traditions, but while researching the book, I began to look at them through the lens of food, and that opened up an entirely new perspective for me,” says Alka, adding how ancient Kalinga had flourishing ports and a strong tradition of seafaring and trade. “I realised that food could be read almost like a historical document. A dish, an ingredient, a cooking method, or even a festival can offer clues to the landscape, livelihoods, beliefs, and exchanges that shaped Odisha over centuries.”

Sandip says Odisha’s temple kitchen ancestry and the influence it has had on everyday Odia home food struck him. “The simplicity of Odia cuisine, which is largely misunderstood as being rural, actually lies in its refinement and higher understanding of the seasonality of produce and nutrition. It boasts of a skilled art of fermentation (pakhala), steaming (dalma), and roasting in sal leaves (patra poda).”   

The recipe bank

As for the detailed recipes, Alka says the ones close to her heart are the Macha Haldipani made with fresh turmeric and buttermilk; Sarupatra Besara, which is her grandmother’s recipe featuring colocasia leaves; Sunday Mutton Curry that brings back childhood memories; and the chhena poda. 

Sandip considers the dalma as “the queen of dal” preparations. “Another unique dal is the habisya dali, and the santula is a simple mixed vegetable curry that’s nutritious. I also cannot resist Odia non-vegetarian dishes like the patra poda (meat roasted on raw fire wrapped in sal leaves), mudi maunsa (puffed rice and slow-cooked mutton), soriso ilisi (mustard hilsa), and chuna machha chadchadi (spicy river anchovies),” he adds. 

But perhaps the most important lesson for Alka was personal: “Our mothers and grandmothers carried recipes, techniques and an understanding of seasons entirely through memory. Once a generation is gone, a recipe can disappear.” This book, she hopes, can slow that process.

Priced at ₹5,999, the book is available online