So, what is pithe? The ingredients for this palm-sized sweet delight include freshly made palm and date jaggery, perfumed rice flour, milk, and coconut. Although pithe is now sold in many confectioneries, the average Bengali household still makes it at home. Is your mouth watering at the thought of these delicious dishes? Get ready to indulge in some exotic pithe you must try while visiting West Bengal.
Various Types of Pithes to Have In West Bengal
• Doodh puli
Doodh Puli is the queen of all pithes. Puli, often half-moon shaped, is made with rice flour and a coconut infused with date palm jaggery filling. Pithe is boiled in milk, and milk is simmered with nolen gur. Making the puli soft takes talent and experience. Using the proper type of rice flour is crucial to prevent the puli from becoming chewy or difficult to bite into.• Patishapta
Another most common pithe that you can have in West Bengal is patishapta. A popular pithe, patishapta is baked with rice flour and sooji and filled with a delectable blend of coconut and caramelized jaggery. If you can't get the coconut and jaggery, you can also use sugar and khoya.• Gokul pithe
Unlike steaming pithe, gokul pithe is fried and drenched in sugar syrup. It is typically so soft that it melts in your mouth with each bite and has a filling of coconut and plam jaggery. Essentially, these pithes are sweet fried dumplings drenched in hot, viscous sugar syrup.• Chakli pithe
Did you try Appam? Simply put, Chakli Pithe is its Bengali counterpart. In no time, chakli pithe dissolves in your lips. It's an extremely thin crepe that tastes great hot with jaggery syrup. Another type of this pithe, soru chakli, is thin and small. Kheer is the typical way to enjoy soru chakli.• Chitoi pithe
Shora Pithe, or Chitoi Pithe, is prepared by steaming rice flour. As it is steamed in a shora (clay pot), it is known as Shora Pithe. Although the flour is not fermented, it has the appearance of idli. It is typically consumed hot with jhola gur or raw jaggery. Making a Shora Pithe first and presenting it to God is a tradition in many households.Many people place the pithe next to the oven where the remaining pithe will be prepared. Another treat is Bhapa Pithe, which has a batter prepared from rice flour, coconut, and jaggery on top. Everything is steam-cooked. There is also a savory variant in which the coconut and date palm jaggery are swapped out for a pea filling.
• Rosh bora
Rosh bora, essentially vada steeped in sugar syrup, is one of the simplest pithes available. It is indeed one of those pithes that is suitable for all seasons. Although urad dal is typically used to make vada, some people use sweet potatoes.These are various types of pithe that you can have if you ever visit West Bengal, especially in Winter.
