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

breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night.Anderson, Heather Arndt (2013)''Breakfast: A History'' AltaMira Press. Various "typical" or " ...

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 ...

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

pitha Pithas are a variety of food similar to pancakes, dumplings or fritters, originating from the Indian subcontinent, common in Bangladesh and India. Pitha can be sweet or savoury, and usually made from a dough or batter, which is then steamed, fri ...

'', '' laru'' and tea. Other common items served for

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, Trin ...

, luchi, ghugni and sometimes paratha 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 Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Africa. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and ...

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 Pithas are a variety of food similar to pancakes, dumplings or fritters, originating from the Indian subcontinent, common in Bangladesh and India. Pitha can be sweet or savoury, and usually made from a dough or batter, which is then steamed, fri ...

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-modulat ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...

. Mostly used in Northern Assam.

Komal Saul

Kumol saul Jolpan ( as, জলপান), or snacks, are often served at breakfast in the cuisine of Assam, although they may also be served at Bihu festivals or weddings. The word ''jolpan'' includes all the preparations namely '' jolpan'', '' pitha'', ...

( 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

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

Chira

''Chira'' ( Flattened rice, 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 Brine is a high-concentration solution of salt (NaCl) in water (H2O). In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawater, on the lower end of that of solutions used for ...

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,

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 Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ...

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 Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

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

, hot milk,

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 Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and most parts o ...

. 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 Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets a ...

(''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 ...

pancake A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan, often frying w ...

, 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 Jolpan ( as, জলপান), or snacks, are often served at breakfast in the cuisine of Assam, although they may also be served at Bihu festivals or weddings. The word ''jolpan'' includes all the preparations namely ''jolpan'', ''pitha'', '' ...

, Narikol Pitha,

Ghila Pitha Jolpan ( as, জলপান), or snacks, are often served at breakfast in the cuisine of Assam, although they may also be served at Bihu festivals or weddings. The word ''jolpan'' includes all the preparations namely '' jolpan'', '' 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

. 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 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 cul ...

seeds, ground

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...

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 * ...

etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders.

Ghila Pitha

''Ghila pitha'' is a type of

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

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

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

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

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 tea and also can be eaten with milk.

Tekeli Pitha

of ''Xaali saul'' (sunned rice) and ''Bora saul'' is mixed with

, 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 ar ...

and dried orange rind can also be added. An

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a c ...

, half filled up with water is set on a

hearth A hearth () is the place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by at least a horizontal hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos (a lo ...

. 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 dr ...

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 tea. 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

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 Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Africa. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and ...

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 tea 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,

Spiced tea Masala chai (, ; Urdu: مصالحہ چائے, Hindi: मसाला चाय) is an Indian tea beverage made by boiling black tea in milk and water with a mixture of aromatic herbs and spices. Originating in India the beverage has gained wor ...

, 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

References

{{reflist

External links

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