It’s Chhena Poda Dibasa Again, Odisha Intensifies GI Tag Demand & How!

Bhubaneswar: To step up campaign for GI tag for Odisha’s accidental dessert Chhena Poda, several programmes are being organised in the Odisha capital on Tuesday.

Accidental because Sudarshan Sahu, who owned a sweet shop at Dasapalla in Nayagarh, left sugar-infused chhena or cottage cheese with cardamon and cashew seasonings in a charcoal oven overnight and discovered an exquisitely delicious delicacy, which gave the state a distinct identity and flavour, the following morning. He slowly perfected Chhena Poda, which literally means burnt cheese, with a caramelised crust. By baking it wrapped in sal leaves, he gave the cardamom-scented cottage cheesecake a distinct aroma.

It brought him a lot of fame over the years, with the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru also appreciating the sweet dish.

In honour of the inventor of the sweetmeat and to popularise it, Odisha began trending # ChhenaPodaDibasa for the first time last year. And the celebration is getting bigger this year.

Chhena Poda anthem, composed and choreographed by Abhijit Mishra, will be released during the festival at Jaydev Bhawan, where visitors will also get an opportunity to savour the popular dessert apart from being treated to cultural programmes this evening. Nayagarh Bikash Manch, a socio-cultural organisation, is organising the event.

The Nayagarh administration, which has already applied for GI tag to the most-loved sweet of Odisha, has asked all  government offices to celebrate “World Chhena Poda Day” on April 11. The officials will cut a Chhena Poda cake in their respective offices and celebrate the authentic and delicious sweet dish.