Cheesecake has always been a western thing, it is believed to have originated in ancient Greece .With the Roman conquest of Greece, the secret fell into Roman hands. They were called “libum” by the Romans which was a sacrificial cake .It was offered to household spirits during Rome’s early history.
Odisha (Orissa), the land of Lord Jagannath, has its very own Cheese cake called Chenna poda. It is also said to be Lord Jagannath’s Favorite. This recipe from the historically rich state of Odisha is India’s answer to the western cheesecake. This recipe is truly Indian; this recipe has no foreign influence to its origin. The difference between the western cheese cake and chenna poda is that it needs no base; chenna poda yields its own base and edges upon getting baked. Also chenna poda is eggless, and needs not baking powder unlike the western counterpart. This is one cake that needs not baking powder or This Indian Cheese cake is made during festivals especially during durga puja and Diwali. This is an extremely popular sweet in Odisha, though unfortunately quite unknown in rest of India.
This cheese cake is said to originate by mistake. The credit goes to Sudarshana Sahoo a confectionary store owner at Nayagarh Orissa. He came to Nayagarh in 1947 and set up a hotel in Daspalla. One day he decided to add sugar and seasonings to leftover cottage cheese (chenna) one night, and left it in an oven that was still warm from earlier use. The next day, he was pleasantly surprised to find out what a scrumptious dessert, he had created, Odisa’s very own cheese cake. He had created the most exotic dessert that is available in every nook and corner of the state and also the dish has made its way to restaurant menus.
Cheena Podo literally means burnt cheese in Odia. The lingering taste of burnt home-made cottage cheese and semolina combined with sugar syrup simply blows away your mind. This rare dessert is baked for several hours until it becomes red and the caramelized sugar brings out the distinct flavour and fills the air with irresistible aroma of Chhena Poda. The Chenna Poda authentically is made of cottage cheese, semolina, sugar, cardamom, ghee, cashews and raisins mixed together very well and then wrapped in Sal leaves and baked in a charcoal or wood fired oven for 2-3 hours and that gives the burnt caramelized look to the crust though it’s divinely melt in the mouth texture inside. Today in households people bake it in ovens and pressure cooker as well.
Being sold in almost every nook and corner, this dish is simple, easy and absolutely delicious. Chenna poda is usually found in sweet stalls, at highway between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Its shape of a cake tempts the visitors to grab a bite of this exclusive Odia dessert. Since the mid-1980s, it has gradually found its place in restaurant menus across Odisha. A must have dish for your friends and family whenever you visit Odisha next time.
