Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com The Background of Bihar Bihar is a land locked state lying in the eastern part of India. The word Bihar comes from the Sanskrit word Vihara meaning Buddhist Monasteries. Bihar is surrounded by the states of Uttar Pradesh in the West, Jharkhand in the South, West Bengal in the East and Nepal in the North. Bihar was known as Magadha during ancient times and was a centre of education, culture and tradition. One of the greatest empires in ancient India, The Mauryan Empire, rose from Magadha. Buddhism, which is one of the biggest religions in the world, originated in Bihar. Bihar is also home to the ancient Nalanda University, which was a centre of learning established during the 5 th century. The ruins of Nalanda University can still be seen in Bihar. Apart from its historic importance, Bihar also played a signifcant role in India’s freedom struggle. Hindi and Urdu are the offcial languages of Bihar. Apart from Hindi and Urdu - Bhojpuri, Magadhi, Maithili or Angika are also spoken by the people of Bihar. History of Litti Chokha: The importance of Litti Chokha to Bihar is similar to the importance of Rosogolla to West Bengal. Litti Chokha, a remarkable dish which comes from the state of Bihar, is not only popular in India today, but has also made a special mark globally. Litti Chokha of Bihar, which can be catapulted as the part of their ethos and culture, was originated centuries ago as a staple food in the court of Magadha. With the passage of time, it imbibed the best and most suitable changes in culture that swept through Bihar with the incoming of mighty Mughals who savoured the dish with shorbas and payas, and the exotic Britishers that liked it with curry, and so forth. However, Litti emerged as a ‘brave sepoy’, when the rebels virtually survived on it during the Mutiny of 1857. Tantia Tope, Rani Lakshmi Bai, and the likes chose it as their ‘food for survival’ as it can be baked without any utensils or much water in the jungles and ravines and stays in eat-worthy condition for more than 48 hours. This dish underwent many changes as new rulers came in. During the Mughal period, emperors were served Littis with payas and shorbas 1-7 . Eventually, Litti came to Bihar and was paired with Chokha. Therustic way of cooking added real favour to Litti and Chokha but these days it is not possible for people to go rustic, hence we make it either on the gas oven tandoor or the OTG and micro-oven. But the tastes of these are absolutely different from the ones cooked in the earthen way. Rustic way of cooking Litti and Chokha Goitha Goithas are cow dung cakes which are used in many villages even today for cooking, this might sound tacky but it’s true. It’s just not Litti and Chokha which is cooked on these cakes, but people cook a variety of dishes. The taste of the food cooked in Goitha is heavenly good. Wood Charcoal This is another form of rustic cooking, we do this even today. Unlike Goithas, these are easier to handle and easily available. Cooking with wood charcoal is just like barbequing. Wood charcoal adds that earthiness to the food being cooked and that too taste delicious. Ingredients for Litti and Chokha For the Litti dough 1. Atta (four): 250 gm 2. Besan (gram four): 100gm 3. Ajwain (carom/bishop’s weed): 5 gm 4. Salt: According to taste 5. Water For the Litti flling 1. Sattu (Roasted gram four): 250 gm 2. Garlic clove (fnally chopped): 1 3. Ginger (fnally chopped): 50 gm 4. Green chillies (fnally chopped): 5 pieces 5. Dhaniya (coriander): ½ a bunch 6. Thyme: ½ tsp 7. Mango or red chilli pickle: 1tsp or as per your taste For the Chokha 1. Brinjal: 1 (whole) 2. Tomato: 2 (whole) 3. Potato: 2 pieces (whole) 4. Amchur powder: ½ tsp 5. Salt: according to your taste 6. Mustard oil: 1 tsp 7. Onion (fnally chopped): 1 piece 8. Green chillies (fnally chopped): 2 1 ©2019 Sharma. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially. A signature dish of Bihar: Litti and Chokha Volume 7 Issue 1 - 2019 Sanjiv Kumar Sharma Assistant Professor (Sr.G), Shri Ramasamy Memorial University, India Correspondence: Sanjiv Kumar Sharma, Assistant Professor (Sr.G), School of Hospitality & Tourism Studies, Shri Ramasamy Memorial University Sikkim, India, Tel +91 8090737527, Email Received: May 24, 2018 | Published: January 11, 2019 MOJ Food Processing & Technology Mini Review Open Access Abstract Bihar is a land locked state lying in the eastern part of India. The word Bihar comes from the Sanskrit word Vihara meaning Buddhist Monasteries. The Mauryan Empire rose from Magadha. Buddhism, which is one of the biggest religions in the world, originated in Bihar and it is also home to the ancient Nalanda University, which was a centre of learning established during the 5th century. Litti Chokha a remarkable dish which comes from the state of Bihar is not only popular in India today, but has also made a special mark globally. Litti and Chokha are absolutely delicious and is the rustic way of cooking. Keywords: Magadha, Bihar, Litti, Chokha, Rustic cooking MOJ Food Process Technol. 2019;7(1):1‒2.