'Pitha' is the most favourite and popular sweet/snack of Assam. Pitha symbolizes a complete
genre of cuisines in Assam and it is supposed to be one of the tastiest traditional asseamese food.
Rice being the staple food of Assam, any home made sweet or snack is usually based on rice.
All Pithas are no different. But there are many pitha varieties and tastes are popular in Assam.
It can be sweet or salty in taste, round or long in shape.
Til Pitha:
It is the king of all pithas. It's long and thin shape and very unique in look and taste.
A tasty mixture of sesame seeds and jaggery is covered with a very thin layer rice powder.
The rice powder is commonly made out of 'Bora' rice.
It's normally taken with break-fast or jolpan in Assam. Til pitha is necessary food item
cooked during Bihu festivals in Assam. People in villages start preparing these pithas
long before the festivals starts and they are served in day of the festivals.
Ghila Pitha:
Ghila Pitha, aka Tel Pitha, is round in shape and can sweet or salty. The sweet one made
out of a fine of rice powder, jaggery and the while the salty one from rice and salt.
It is deep fried in oil and one of the tastiest pitha of Assam. If Tila Pitha is king
of pithas, then Ghila pitha is undoubtedly the queen.
Narikol Pitha
It is similar to Til pitha, but the only difference is that instead of the mixture of
sesame seeds and juggery, a mixture of coconut and sugar is used. It is also as tasty as the
til pitha and very popular.
Hutuli Pitha
It is similar to GHila Pitha in ingredients and fried in mustard oil.
But it is made in a special biconical shape
that looks like a 'Hutuli'(musical instrument like whistle).
That's why it is called hutuli pitha.
Another very popular Pitha made out of rice powder. A special mixture of rice powder is
put on the steam of the mouth of a clay pot.
Bhaat Pitha
Made out of rice poweder again. A raw mixture is passed through a 'saloni'(net) on hot steam.
It creates small rice shaped chunk. That's why it is called Bhaat(rice) pitha.
Sunga Pitha
'Bora' rice is put inside bamboo stem and heated in the steam to cook the rice. It adds a lovely
flavour of bamboo to the rice which is called sunga pitha.
