Bhubaneswar: Pakhala Dibas 2023 was celebrated amid much fanfare at Panthanivas Bhubaneswar. The event was organized by Odisha Tourism in association with OTDC and Nimantran.
Gracing the occasion as Chief Guest – Minister Tourism & OLLC Shri Aswini Kumar Patra said, “Pakhala as a cuisine is deeply embedded in Odia culture. This simple food prepared with slightly fermented cooked rice with its many accompaniments including seasonal sauteed vegetables and variety of fried fish is a platter that has nourished many generations – be it a humble farmer, a high-schooler, a pregnant mother or an officer goer. This nutrient rich century old Odia food Pakhala is something that we should promote and celebrate”. Appreciating the efforts put by the blogging community in the recent years to popularize Odia cuisine, he felicitated 25 leading Food Bloggers and Social Media Influencers of Odisha who participated in the event.
Thanking the media personnel and bloggers for participating and promoting Pakhala Dibas, Chairman OTDC Dr. Lenin Mohanty highlighted the importance of Pakhala in the Jagannath Culture and how this century old cuisine finds its place amongst the Chappan Bhog offered to the deities at Shri Jagannath Temple.
Highlighting the Bloggers’ efforts in promoting Odia cuisine on social media and identifying them as stakeholders of Odisha Tourism, Director Tourism Shri Sachin R. Jadhav drew parallels between South-east Asian cuisines and Pakhala. He urged the young masses to take pride in Odia culture and promote Pakhala as superfood, so that this century old culinary secret of Odisha finds global appeal.
The event had Member of State Planning Board and former MP Shri Prasanna Patsani appreciating the efforts of Odisha Tourism in promotion of Odia cuisine as part of Culinary Tourism to attract visitors to the State. Meanwhile, Dietician Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences Ms. Sanghamitra Nayak shared a presentation on health benefits of Pakhala and Masterchef India Runner Up Ms. Smrutisree Singh shared her experience on popularizing this Odia cuisine on a national platform. Additional Secretary Tourism Shri Balmukunda Bhuyan, and Additional Secretary Tourism Shri Ananta Narayan Singh Laguri along with other officials of both Odisha Tourism and OTDC attended the event.
The event concluded with more than 500 Odia cuisine enthusiasts enjoying specially curated vegetarian and non-vegetarian Pakhala platter by Executive Chef Nimantran Shri Sanjoy Sarkar.
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