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| Thekua or Khajur |
- the cuisine of Mithila, speaks for itself about the history, culture and the special efforts of the local people to have their food as gourmet’s choice
- The food matches the geographical condition, rich agriculture, local vegetation and the royalty
- The local cuisines show how it evolved over centuries
- During the Islamic rule, the non-vegetarian dishes of particular taste also developed with the “Khansamas” (royal cooks) making them mouth-watering with the addition of exotic spices and ‘khushboo” (edible scents)
- Mithila has also been under the reign of Turko-Afghan era and the mighty Moguls and naturally, the exotic Mughal cuisine affected the Mithila style of cooking and the test of the habitat of the state
- Vegetables are grown in abundance and cooked in a variety
- Wheat and rice are the staple food of Mithila
- The daily diet consists of breakfast, lunch, dinner and an evening snack with tea
- A regular Mithila meal consists of Dal (Pulse), Bhat (Rice), roti, tarkari (sabji) and achar (pickles)
- Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets are followed, and regional specialties exist
- Boiled rice is customarily eaten with lunch and roti with breakfast and dinner
- One should not sit facing south while taking their meals and study
- The Maithil diet also includes grains, freshwater fish, and he-goat meat
- But as season changes so does Mithila thali
- It is said that just as the seasons change four times in a year, so does the contents of the Maithili meals.
- Panch phoron ( a combination of five spices ie Tori, Jeera, Methi, Mangraila or Kaluanji and Saunf ) are common ingredients in Maithil cuisine
- All dishes in a meal are served together, instead of in courses
- Maithils always give immense priority to milk products in their food which could perfectly be measured with this old saying “Aadi Ghee aur Ant Dahi, oyi Bhojan k Bhojan kahi” ( A meal is a Meal that starts with Ghee and ends with Yogurt)
- Varieties of kheer and other sweet dishes are prepared for dessert
- Dried mango strip (not powdered) is widely used to give tartness in various gravies Bari (fried soft dumplings made of besan (gram flour) that are cooked in spicy gravy) is famous among them
- Maithil regionalism unites Maithils from both sides of the border between India and Nepal
- Since they share a common history, language, culture, and ethnicity, they feel part of one Mithila
- Unlike others, Maithils enjoy both the quality and quantity of the food and this is the characteristics that differentiate the cuisine and people from others
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