Pitha: A Traditional Rice Cake of Assam, Northeast India

Hridishmita Deka

Food is one of the basic necessities of human life. From the prehistoric period people have consumed different kinds of food. Besides nutrition, food provides status, identity, culture as well as ritualistic significance to any human society. Assam a northeastern state is rich in food heritage and pitha is one of them. It is believed that the origin of Assamese pitha is connected with the ancient agricultural society of Assam. Since the main ingredient of pitha is rice flour, it is deeply related/ connected to agricultural communities. Many folk songs and folklores are related to pitha can also be heard. Pitha is mainly prepared during the time of Bihu and this tradition has continued from the past to the present. However, differences can be observed from the earlier times till date in the preparation of pitha. Further, each type of pitha has its own meaning across Assam. This paper focuses on the continuity of making pitha in the Assamese society and also the changes seen over time. Moreover, the study explores the folklores associated with numerous pitha of Assam. For this study, the primary data will be gathered through interactions and informal interviews with the different communities of Assam, including elderly members, homemakers, traditional pitha makers, and farmers who possess knowledge about the preparation of pitha and its cultural significance and the secondary sources of data will be information from books, research articles, and other published materials related to the food culture and folklore of Assam.