Foods of the Festival

Tue, 13 Aug 2002 01:03:53 +0000

All festivals revolve around fasting — and feasting. The latter part is a special attraction, especially with children! We bring you some mouthwatering recipes that are part of the Navaratri and Durga Puja celebrations.

Interestingly, chana, or chickpea – also called Bengal gram and Garbanzo – is part of festival food across India. It is the key ingredient in the Bengali Chholar Dal, the Tamil Chundal and the Maharashtrian Pooran Poli.

Chana has been around for thousands of years. It has been found in archaeological excavations as early as 2500 BC (4,500 years ago) in Kalibangan, during the time of the Harappa civilisation. Buddhist writings of 400 BC (2,400 years ago) make a mention of it, as do much older Sanskrit texts like the ‘Vishnu Purana’.

Navaratri Recipes on Pitara Kids Network

Foods of the Festival