{"id":8479,"date":"2026-10-26T18:39:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T09:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8479"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:50:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:50:46","slug":"chhena-poda","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/chhena-poda\/","title":{"rendered":"Chhena Poda"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chhena poda (\u0b1b\u0b47\u0b28\u0b3e\u0b2a\u0b4b\u0b21\u0b3c) is a baked sweet made with fresh cheese, from the state of Odisha in eastern India. Before it is cut, its surface is a deep brown, while the inside keeps the whiteness and moisture of the milk. Its defining feature is that sweetened fresh cheese is baked slowly, making the outside toasty and the inside moist.<\/p>\n

In the name, chhena refers to milk curdled with acid and drained of its liquid, and poda means baked or burnt. In India, where many milk sweets are cooked in sugar syrup, it is known as a sweet in which the baked surface itself is savored. Eating the toasty outside together with the moist inside is what gives this sweet its character.<\/p>\n

Kneading the chhena before baking<\/h2>\n

Chhena is made differently from khoa, which is produced by boiling down milk so that the solids remain. Because chhena is obtained by curdling heated milk with acid and removing the whey, it still contains soft cheese curds before baking. The chhena is broken up and kneaded, combined with sugar and semolina, and then baked. In the cross-section of the baked sweet, the fine milk curds come together into a moist texture.<\/p>\n

Semolina is coarsely ground wheat. Some Odisha methods add this semolina. Proportions and baking methods vary. Some versions add cashew nuts or raisins, some are flavored with cardamom, and in some cases a non-centrifugal sugar called jaggery is used in place of sugar.<\/p>\n

A study comparing formulations, and baking with leaves<\/h2>\n

The amount of flour also affects the texture of the baked sweet. In a comparison by food engineering researcher U. S. Pal and colleagues, which varied the amounts of semolina and sugar per 1 kilogram of cheese and baked the mixture at 200\u00b0C for 60 minutes, adding more semolina lowered the sensory scores for color and texture. Under these conditions, a combination of 75 grams of semolina and 185 grams of sugar was estimated to be optimal. In this test, the proportions of flour and sugar affected not only sweetness but also the evaluations of browning and texture.<\/p>\n

The traditional method uses sal leaves and cooks the sweet slowly over a gentle fire. It may also be baked in an oven in a greased mold. The aroma that comes from baking with leaves and the aroma of sugar baked into the surface are separate elements. When a mold and an oven are used, the aroma also differs from that of methods using firewood and leaves.<\/p>\n

\"Chhena<\/p>\n

Chhena poda served on a plate. The contrast between the brown surface and the pale interior is visible. Photo: Subhransuphotography, 2022-11-19, Puri, Odisha, India. Original image<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version from the source, no additional processing.<\/p>\n

\"Chhena<\/p>\n

Chhena poda photographed in Odisha. The round baked surface has a deep brown color. Photo: Biswarup Ganguly, 2018-01-26, Odisha, India. Original image<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version from the source, no additional processing.<\/p>\n

The story of a sweet born from leftover milk<\/h2>\n

The Nayagarh region is named as its birthplace. According to the story handed down, the confectioner Sudarshan Sahu added sugar and seasonings to leftover chhena and left it overnight in a still-warm oven, and the next morning it had turned into a sweet baked brown. Accounts differ on the year it was created, but this 20th-century origin story of leftover chhena baked in an oven has been passed down together with the confectioner’s name.<\/p>\n

Today it is made not only in Nayagarh but also in Puri, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and elsewhere, and it is served at festivals and family celebrations. At the Jagannath Temple in Delhi, too, the chhena poda made by the temple’s people is popular in the area. Even after becoming a specialty of the state, its form has not become fixed. Chef Michael, a cook in Bhubaneswar, has published a recipe (the ingredient proportions and method) that combines chhena with chocolate. It keeps the method of kneading and baking chhena while expanding the range of flavors.<\/p>\n

In 2022, a local nonprofit organization began celebrating April 11, Sudarshan Sahu’s birthday, as Chhena Poda Day. At the 2025 event, too, people involved with the organization and the confectioner’s son spoke about what the sweet means to them. The birthday of the confectioner named in the story of the sweet’s origin has now also become a day on which the community celebrates this local sweet together.<\/p>\n

\"Chhena<\/p>\n

Chhena poda baked using leaves. The brown baked surface and the leaf wrapping remaining around it are visible. Photo: Subhashish Panigrahi, 2011-10-13, location unknown. Image source<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>. Full size, no additional processing.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

Jagannath Temple<\/strong>: A temple dedicated to Jagannath. This article introduces chhena poda made at the temple in Delhi.<\/p>

Chhena<\/strong>: A soft dairy product made by curdling heated milk with acid and removing the whey. It is the main ingredient of chhena poda.<\/p>

Poda<\/strong>: An Odia word meaning baked or burnt. The name relates to the sweet’s deep baking.<\/p>

Khoa<\/strong>: A dairy product concentrated by heating milk and evaporating its water. Its production differs from that of chhena, in which the whey is separated with acid.<\/p>

Semolina<\/strong>: Coarsely ground wheat. Some methods for chhena poda mix it with the chhena.<\/p>

Jaggery<\/strong>: A general term for non-centrifugal sugars finished without extensive refining. Its flavor and color differ from those of white sugar.<\/p>

Sudarshan Sahu<\/strong>: The confectioner said to have created chhena poda in the Nayagarh region. Accounts of the year of its invention vary.<\/p>

Chef Michael<\/strong>: A cook in Bhubaneswar who presents Odisha cuisine in contemporary ways. He has published a method for a chocolate version.<\/p>

U. S. Pal<\/strong>: A food engineering researcher affiliated with Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology who studied the ingredient proportions and processing of chhena poda.<\/p>

References<\/h2>\n
  1. \n

    Shri Jagannath Mandir & OACC, \u201cAbout Us\u201d<\/a> \u2014 An introduction to the chhena poda made at this temple in Delhi. Not a source on offerings at the temple in Puri.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  2. \n

    Odisha Tourism, \u201cChhenapoda\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Ingredients, baking with leaves, and an overview of the regions.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  3. \n

    Odisha Tourism, \u201cChhenapoda: Odisha\u2019s Sweet Gem\u201d<\/a> \u2014 The confectioner’s origin story, sweetening ingredients, and a modern example using chocolate. The origin is treated as tradition.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  4. \n

    Pal et al., \u201cDevelopment and evaluation of retort pouch processed chhenapoda\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Comparison of ingredient proportions and sensory evaluation. The saved excerpts from the Methods and Results and the public abstract were read; the full paper was not read.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  5. \n

    The Pioneer Bhubaneswar, April 12, 2025, p. 1<\/a> \u2014 The Chhena Poda Day event and interviews with those involved.<\/p>\n<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Chhena poda (\u0b1b\u0b47\u0b28\u0b3e\u0b2a\u0b4b\u0b21\u0b3c) is a baked sweet made with fresh cheese, from the state of Odisha in eastern India. Before it is cut, its surface is a deep brown, while the inside keeps the whiteness and moisture of the milk. The defining feature of this sweet is that a sweetened mass of milk curd is baked slowly so that the outside and the inside turn out in different states.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7540,"menu_order":250,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Chhena Poda","subtitle":"An Odisha sweet that turns white milk a baked brown","topics":"Chhena kneaded and baked with sugar\uff0fA brown surface and a moist interior\uff0fThe legend that it was born from leftover milk","country":"Nayagarh, Odisha, India","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["cheese"],"texture":[],"occasion":[],"method":["baked"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[154],"class_list":["post-8479","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"auto","sweetlore_related_articles":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t