Jolpan ( as, জলপান), or snacks, are often served at breakfast in the

cuisine of Assam Assamese cuisine is the cuisine of the Indian state of Assam. It is a style of cooking that is a confluence of cooking habits of the hills that favour fermentation (food), fermentation and drying (food), drying as forms of preservation and tho ...

, although they may also be served at

Bihu Bihu is a set of three important Assamese festivals in the Indian state of Assam – 'Rongali' or 'Bohag Bihu' observed in April, 'Kongali' or 'Kati Bihu' observed in October, and 'Bhogali' or 'Magh Bihu' observed in January. The Rongali Bihu i ...

festivals or weddings. The word ''jolpan'' includes all the preparations namely '' jolpan'', '' pitha'', '' laru'' and

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

. Other common items served for breakfast may include

roti Roti (also known as chapati) is a round flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent. It is popular in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, Trini ...

luchi Luchi ( bn, লুচি) or Lusi ( as, লুচি) is a deep-fried flatbread, made of Maida flour, originating from the Bengal region. Luchi is especially popular in the Indian states of Assam, Odisha, West Bengal and Tripura and in the ...

ghugni Ghugni ( bn, ঘুগ্নি, or, ଘୁଗ୍ନି) or ghuguni ( as, ঘুগুনি, or, ଘୁଗୁନି) is a curry made of peas or chickpeas. Different variations of the dish use different types of peas or chickpaes, such as blac ...

and sometimes

paratha Paratha () is a flatbread native to South Asia, prevalent throughout the modern-day nations of India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad a ...

etc. Jolpan are also found in Bengal. The word literally derives from "water and betel leaf" but can mean any snack.Raoul ''Reminiscences of twenty years' pigsticking in Bengal'' 1893 "Jol-pan literally translated means water and betel leaf ; but the real meaning of it is a slight meal or refreshment, ... It does not cost much to give your beaters and followers a feed of jol-pan : five rupees worth is generally enough .."

Types of Jolpan

Variations on jolpan include '' Bora saul'', '' Komal Saul'', ''Xandoh'', ''Chira'', ''Muri'', ''Akhoi'' along with

curd Curd is obtained by coagulating milk in a sequential process called curdling. It can be a final dairy product or the first stage in cheesemaking. The coagulation can be caused by adding rennet or any edible acidic substance such as l ...

, jaggery,

yogurt Yogurt (; , from tr, yoğurt, also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as ''yogurt cultures''. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bac ...

and various Pitha.

Bora saul

Bora saul ( Assamese: বৰা চাউল) is boiled and served as Jolpan with

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...

, jaggery or sugar. Mostly used in Northern Assam.

Komal Saul

Kumol saul ( Assamese: কোমল চাউল) is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with

, jaggery,

after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so.

Chira

''Chira'' (

Flattened rice Flattened rice is a type of rice dish made from raw, toasted, or parboiled rice grains pounded into flat flakes. They are eaten as is, toasted, fried, or used as ingredients or toppings for other dishes. Depending on their use, they can be crispy, ...

, also called beaten rice, Assamese: চিৰা) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil.

Muri

''Muri'' (

puffed rice Puffed rice and popped rice (or pop rice) are types of puffed grain made from rice commonly eaten in the traditional cuisines of Southeast Asia, East Asia, and South Asia. It has also been produced commercially in the West since 1904 and is popu ...

) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a

strainer A sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift, is a device for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet material. ...

. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar.

Xandoh Guri

( Assamese: সান্দহ গুৰি) It is prepared from ''Kola bora'', ''Ghiu bora'', ''Pakhi bora'' or ''Ronga bora'' (varieties of Bora saul). The rice is soaked for three to four days and then it is fried. The fried rice is pounded in a

dheki A dheki is an agricultural tool used for threshing, to separate rice grains from their outer husks, while leaving the bran layer, thus producing brown rice. Dhekis have generally fallen into disuse because of the availability of technologies such ...

, a homemade wooden mill in

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

to pound grains, and sifted to dehusk. Now the pounded and dehusked rice is again fried in hot sand and thus ''Hurum'' is prepared. It is served with

, hot milk,

, sugar or jaggery.

Sunga Saul

Dehusked ''Aroi bora saul'' is soaked for 2/3 hours. Then it is put in an immature bamboo tube and a little water or sometimes coconut milk is added to it.

Banana leaf The banana leaf is the leaf of the banana plant, which may produce up to 40 leaves in a growing cycle. The leaves have a wide range of applications because they are large, flexible, waterproof and decorative. They are used for cooking, wrappin ...

is used as cork. The tube is roasted in fire and ''Sunga saul'' is prepared. Removing the tube the substance is served with

, hot milk,

, sugar etc.

Pithaguri

Rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...

(''Pithaguri'' in Assamese) is fried and served with hot milk, jaggery and sometimes with ripe banana or ripe jackfruit. It is a common type of jolpan.

Suji

''Suji'' (

Semolina Semolina is coarsely milled durum wheat mainly used in making couscous, and sweet puddings. The term semolina is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or corn) as well. Ety ...

) is also one type of common ''jolpan'', a type of dessert. Like ''pithaguri'' it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk.

Koni-dhan

The basic preparation consists in washing the millet (''Konidhan'' in Assamese; ''Koni'' = tiny; ''dhan'' = rice) and toasting it while moving until one notes a characteristic scent. Then five measures of boiling water for each two measures of millet are added with some sugar or salt. The mixture is cooked covered using low flame for 30–35 minutes.

Kath Aloo

Yam (''Kath aloo'' in Assamese) is peeled, sliced, added salt and tamarind powder and then deep fried in mustard oil.

Pitha

Pitha (Assamese পিঠা) is a

rice cake A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten and are particularly preval ...

or pancake, a thin-flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot

griddle A griddle, in the UK also called a girdle, is a cooking device consisting mainly of a broad, usually flat cooking surface. Nowadays it can be either a movable metal pan- or plate-like utensil, a flat heated cooking surface built into a stove or ...

frying pan A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab han ...

. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like

. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. Some pithas are- Til Pitha, Narikol Pitha, Ghila Pitha, Xutuli Pitha, Sunga Pitha, Bhapotdiya Pitha, Lakhimi Pitha, Tora Pitha, Tekeli Pitha, Muthiya Pitha or Kholasapori Pitha.

Kachi Pitha

''Kachi Pitha'' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like

. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

, jaggery etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders.

Ghila Pitha

''Ghila pitha'' is a type of pancake so called because of its

knee cap The patella, also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in many tetrapods, such as m ...

sized shape.

Knee cap The patella, also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in many tetrapods, such as m ...

is called ''Ghila'' in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity.

Salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

is also used instead of jaggery to make salty ''Ghila pitha''. It is generally prepared and served in

Sunga Pitha

The procedure of preparing ''Sunga Pitha'' is almost the same as for Sunga Saul except for the fact that the preparation of sunga pitha involves grounded rice or rice flour instead of whole rice as in Sunga saul .

of ''Xaali saul'' and ''Bora saul'' is mixed with water and jaggery and churned thoroughly. Then the paste is put in an immature bamboo tube corked with banana leaf and roasted over a fire. The bamboo tube is removed to leave a solid cylinder of pitha. This is cut into pieces and served with hot milk.

Uhuwa Pitha

of ''xaali saul'' and ''bora saul'' is mixed with jaggery or

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

and water and churned thoroughly. The paste is rolled into small balls and flattened and then boiled in water. It is served with

and also can be eaten with milk.

Tekeli Pitha

of ''Xaali saul'' (sunned rice) and ''Bora saul'' is mixed with coconut, sugar, a little

powder milk Powdered milk, also called milk powder, dried milk, or dry milk, is a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness. One purpose of drying milk is to preserve it; milk powder has a far longer shelf life than liquid milk and do ...

. Ground

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are r ...

and dried orange rind can also be added. An earthenware, half filled up with water is set on a hearth. A neat clothe is placed on the beam of the

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

and the flour mixture is put in it. Now the beam is covered with a cork and fire is set in the hearth. The substance is baked with the heat of

vapor In physics, a vapor (American English) or vapour (British English and Canadian English; see spelling differences) is a substance in the gas phase at a temperature lower than its critical temperature,R. H. Petrucci, W. S. Harwood, and F. G. Her ...

comes from inside the pitcher and subsequently takes a shape. Now it is cut into pieces like a cake and served with

. This ''pitha'' is so called because a ''tekeli'' (earthenware) is used in it.

Ketli Pitha

The method of preparation as well as the substance is as same as ''tekeli pitha'', but a

kettle A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a type of pot specialized for boiling water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle'', or a small electric kitchen appliance of similar shape that functions in a self-contained ...

is used here instead of the earthenware. That’s the reason it is called ''Ketli pitha'' (''Ketli'' in Assamese means

). Here the kettle-cork is kept upside down on the kettle and the substance is put on it. It usually takes less time to be baked than ''tekeli pitha'' takes.

Laru

Different types of larus are prepared in the season of Bihu in Assam.

Narikol'or Laru

Mature coconut is scrapped (or ground) and fried. Then sugar is added and mixed well. Then it is toasted over slow fire till the ingredients caramelized and holds on to each other. It is tested its readiness by trying to make a small ball first, if it does then the caramelized coconut pot is taken out to cool off a little. With help of cold water rubbed on palms, and before it cools down to room temperature, is now rolled into small balls and kept separately to dry. These small balls of coconut are called ''Narikol Laru''. It is served with tea.

Tilor laru

''Tilor laru'' is a kind of

sesame candy :''The term "sesame candy" may also refer to sesame halva.'' Sesame seed candy is a confection of sesame seeds and sugar or honey pressed into a bar or ball. It is popular from the Middle East through South Asia to East Asia. The texture may vary ...

Sesame seed Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cu ...

s are fried and kept aside. Jaggery is heated to liquefy and then poured in the heap of fried sesame seeds. They get sticky and the substance is rolled into small balls and kept separately to dry. These balls are served with tea.

Tea

A cup of

is inseparable from ''jolpan'' or ''pitha''. It is always seen with those items whenever they are served. It is served in form of

Black tea Black tea, also translated to red tea in various East Asian languages, is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from ...

Milk tea Milk tea refers to several forms of beverage found in many cultures, consisting of some combination of tea and milk. The term milk tea is used for both hot and cold drinks that can be combined with various kinds of milks and a variety of spices. ...

, Spiced tea, Lemon tea (adding lemon juice to black tea) etc. It is the hugely consumed

beverage A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoo ...

in Assam and also can be called a type of dessert.

References

{{reflist

External links

* AssameseFood.com (2009
"Assamese Food- taste for a difference"
Assamese cuisine Snack foods Pitha