It has to be Assam. Ghila Pitha is a deep fried delicacy. It is made of rice flour, traditionally the Assamese Bora variety. Sooji and gur are the other ingredients. It is the snack made during Magh Bihu of Assam. It is also served as a regular household tea time snack. Ring up your assamese friend and ask him to come.

Picture Credit: Archanas Kitchen

Turmeric.

Kashmiri Hindus consider Navreh, their new year, to be as sacred and holy as Maha Shivaratri. Navreh customs are remarkably similar to Vishu of Kerala that is on the other corner of India.

Tehar or turmeric rice made with ghee is a special preparation for the new year. It is also offered as a symbol of gratitude when anyone recovers from an illness or any unfortunate incident. Kashmiri pandits also rinse walnuts in running river water as a custom during the new year. Yes, the humble rice is a constant feature of many new year recipes, from Kerala Sadhya to Chaler Payesh to Vishu Sadhya.

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This is called Ugadi Pachidi (Telanagana and Andhra), Bevu Bella (Karnataka) and Mangai Pachidi (Tamil Nadu). The key ingredients are tamarind, mango, neem, jaggery, chilli and salt representing the six tastes. Each taste also refers to a particular emotion or experience of life.

The pachidi signals the variety of experiences and emotions that each new year will inevitably bring. Is your sixth sense telling you that someone is making Ugadi Pachidi around the corner? Maybe!

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Puran Poli is the signature sweet on Gudi Padwa, the Maharashtrian New Year. Gudi Padwa follows the lunar calendar and occurs in March or April. Puran Poli is roti stuffed with sweet. The stuffing or Puran is made of Chana dal and jaggery. The roti or Poli is made of a mix of wheat and maida. It is popular in entire south India and is called Boli or Poli or Bobbatlu or Obbattu or Holige in various South Indian States. Ready to roll your poli?

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The Bengali new year is called Poila Baisakh. The name means the first day (Poila/ Pahela) of the month Vaisakh. The Bengali calendar is a mix of the Hindu solar and Muslim Hejiri calendar and is supposed to have been started in 1584 during Akbar’s reign. Bengali businessmen and shopkeepers open new account books, ‘haalkhaata’ on this day and take the blessings of deities for the new year. No Bengali festival is complete without food and there is an enormous variety of dishes served on Poila Baisakh. The Chaler Payesh is the equivalent of the North Indian rice kheer and the South Indian payasam and is a popular dessert. Want to rush to Kolkata to sample this?

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Guji Deg or Tahiree is a sweet rice dish. This is offered to Jhulelal by Sindhis on their new year day, which is called Cheti Chand. The rice is made with ghee, cardamom, saffron, sugar and milk. Yes, the humble rice custom was even prevalent across the border.

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Vishu Sadhya, like every Sadhya of Kerala is an elaborate and exquisite meal. This Sadhya has 24 items and is being advertised for pre order in Qatar.

Vishu is the astronomical new year of Kerala. The first day of Malayalam calendar is called Chingam and falls in August and is also observed as a new year. Start the Vishu feast now, it is so elaborate, it will be Chingam by the time you finish it.

Odisha celebrates its new year on April 14 or 15, following the solar calendar. Pana is made during the festival. It is a drink made with bel fruit pulp (wood apple) or sweet mango. Milk or yoghurt and coconut water are the other ingredients. Open the fridge and look for Pana now.

Picture Credit: Kamalakanta777, Wikimedia Commons