Anarsa

Among the grandeur of kebabs, curries, and sweets, Indian cuisine hosts a satiating repository of as many globe-trotting dishes as unchartered culinary gems. One such lesser-known specimen from the Indian laboratory of dessert concoctions is the Anarsa, an Indian rice-based biscuit. Employing a fine-tuned blend of jaggery, rice, poppy seeds, and ghee, the Anarsa boasts a fine heritage of hand-shaped sweets and atypical mix of ingredients.

To make a perfect Anarsa, the rice is soaked, ground, and mixed with jaggery to produce a dough that is then covered and left to mature for four or five days. The dough is rolled in white poppy seeds, shaped into balls, and deep-fried till a gorgeous golden.

Though the name Anarsa is associated exclusively with Bihar and Maharashtra, the dish itself makes an appearance in numerous local cuisines each providing a unique name. For instance, it is called Adhirasam in Tamil Nadu, Kajjaya in Karnataka, Ariselu in Andhra Pradesh, Sirsa in Chhattisgarh, and Arisa Pitha in Orissa.

While some believe the Anarsa to have originated in the Damarua village of Uttar Pradesh, others contest it is an essential Bihari creation from Gaya. With its unmatched rustic flavour notes, a plate of Anarsa is a ritualistic must on Hindu festivals like Diwali, Dussehra, and Teej.

Down south, Anarsa, by the alias of Adhirasam, holds a different historical and cultural significance. One of the earliest literary mentions of the Adhirasam can be found in 16th-century inscriptions of Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara dynasty. The Adhirasam enjoys an unparalleled reverence in Tamil culture where it is a mandatory inclusion in any Deepavali feast. In fact, at the annual festival of the Panchavarnesvar Temple in Nallur, it is a part of the holy rites to serve an offering of six thousand Adhirasams and six thousand Vadas (fried snack) to the presiding deities. It is a strict obligation to cook the entire meal between sunrise and 11 o’clock at night, to be placed at the midnight prayers.