Puri-Upma – What Is This Classic Breakfast Combination From Berhampur?

There are a lot of cuisines that are severely underrated and one of them is definitely Odiya cuisine. Several dishes that should be extremely popular in the rest of the country is confined to this Coastal state. Like the other states of India, Odisha also has a different variety of breakfast dishes that are eaten all over the state. Berhampur, considered to be the food capital of Odisha, has one of the best food that I have ever eaten in any part of the country. Not only is the food extremely delicious, it is also unique. one such dish is the popular breakfast delicacy – puri-upma.

My introduction to the dish was through my very good friend from post graduate college, who belonged to Berhampur. While studying in Odisha, a much of us went to her hometown to just explore the city, see Gopalpur Beach and eat. She had promised us that Berhampur has the best food that we will ever try and she was not wrong at all! One of the first things that we tried was puri-upma, a very popular breakfast dish. Served with chutney, ghughni and sambhar, this filling, delicious and unique dish really caught my attention.

The dish is exactly what it sounds like – the combination of two other breakfast dishes puri and upma. But having both of them served together, with chutneys and sambhar is a different taste and experience all together. It is delicious, in a unique way. And it is only delicious if you eat it the authentic way – mix everything on the plate together, dip the puri in it and then enjoy the meal. 2 medium sized puris and one serving of upma was enough to fill me up. The dish is unassumingly filling and the sambhar definitely adds to it.

There is no unique recipe to make this. Just prepare the four classic elements of it – puri, upma, ghughni and sambhar and then chutney varieties of your choice. The main taste of the dish definitely comes from the mix of these different things. The unique combination of dishes makes this dish what it is. While it can be easily prepared and eaten in the comfort of your own home, it is worth travelling to Odisha, especially Berhampur, for all the delicious food that the place has to offer!