Orissa is a land of delicious delicacies. The food preparation in Orissa is simple, economic and hygienic. One should have a savory mouth to enjoy the varieties of foods that Orissa offers. Not surprisingly one may have to put one's hands in the mouth of a tiger, dead or alive, to get the culinary taste of the people of Orissa.

The Principal crop of Orissa has been Paddy and naturally therefore the staple food of the people is “Rice”. Wheat, although not grown in plenty, has the privilege of being the second staple food in the State. Side dishes are prepared from a variety of pulses and vegetables like Brinjal, Pumpkin, Gourd, Colocasia, Cauliflower, Tomato, Papaya, Beans, Ladies finger, etc. and a number of leaf vegetables and roots.

The people of Orissa are not strictly non-vegetarians, or not essentially vegetarians either except orthodox Brahmins. Sweet water fish and sea fish as well as lamb and goat meat are abundant in Orissa. Chicken and eggs are also available, though they are not entertained by the House Wives in the domestic kitchens. Non-vegetarian items are also not preferred on religious and festive occasions especially in the occasion of Puja.

Sweets of Orissa include milk preparations like Rasgulla, Rasamalai, Chhenapoda, Khiramohan, Rajbhoga, Rabidee, Jilabee, Rasabali and Kalakanda etc. Khiri is another sweet dish prepared from rice, suji or semiya with milk and sugar and is served as a dessert on festive occasions.

Different types of cakes popularly known as “Pithas” are served as local snacks. This can be sweet or savoury. This is a traditional preparation and much skill is required for the same. Some of cakes are known as Manda, Chhuchipatra, Arisa and Chakuli Pitha. These are all domestic preparations.

Tea is a common beverage in Orissa although coffee is equally popular. Green coconut water is a refreshing cold drink in the coastal belt. Fresh and ripe juicy mangoes are sucked during summer. Bela fruits provide another refreshing cold drink. Several types of Bananas are available in all seasons. Sugarcane juice is yet another refreshing beverage. Jack fruits and Water Melons are among the local fruits while Grapes, Oranges and Apples are also imported to the market from the neighbouring States.

Preparation of a menu in Orissa is no problem at all. The seasons and the traditions are the best guides. As indicated earlier, rice or wheat preparation is the principal dish. An Oriya Lunch or Dinner has several side dishes like Dal preparation, more than one curry, one or two kinds of fried vegetables, a sour dish, chutney and one or two kinds of pickles, etc. There is a plate of salad also with Tomato, Cucumber, Onion, Ginger, Curd or Lemon. On ceremonial occasions, the number of items increases.

Some of the hotels and restaurants in Orissa have arrangements to serve not only the oriya dishes but also typical dishes of the other States of India like Gujarati, Punjabi and South Indian as well as western food including Chinese.

The people of Orissa do not take their food by course. All the dishes are served at a time and thereafter they start eating. They love community eating. Especially after a religious or social function there is community feast.

Even fooding of the Orissa people are very simple. Rice is the staple and the main food of the people. The major food of the Oriya people is rice with dal and curry as side dishes. Some people also take roti for dinner. The people of Orissa use both sun dried and par-boiled rice, the former especially on festive occasions. The popular food in summer is ‘pakhala’, the cooked rice is soaked in water overnight and Oriya people relish it. It is good for the summers. Even delicacies are made in special occasions like cakes and pastries fried in ghee or oil, on steamed or baked with or without stuffing. They are usually made out of rice or rice powder. The most common preparations are kanika, which is cooked with ghee and sugar and khechudi, which is cooked with pulses.

Most of the people in Orissa prefer non-veg food. Fish is the major non-veg food of the Oriyans, besides chicken, egg and mutton. Majority of the Brahmins, devotees don’t consume non-veg foods. The Orissan cuisine is marked by its original style of preparation. Even vegetable curries like' Santula' and 'dalma' are most preferable among the Oriyans. The curry is prepared by adding masala and cooked in different styles. Bhaji (fry), bharta (mixed vegetable curry), besara/mahura (spiced curry), jhola (curry with gravy, vegetarian or non-vegetarian), ambila/sakara (sour or sour-and-sweet preparation) and of course, dessert in case of all good meals are the common meals. Even though dining table is used in the modern homes, most people use mat or wooden seat placed on the floor to take their food. Stainless steel and aluminum utensils are now being used increasingly. Another popular thing in the Oriya homes is that food is served in the banana leaves for some feasts.