Chhena Poda Is Trending As India’s Burnt Cheesecake In A Viral Video, But It’s Older Than You Think

 

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A recent Instagram reel showcasing the traditional making of Chhena Poda has been a major catalyst for its renewed fame. The video features local confectioners preparing the sweets using age-old methods. It has full earthy feels with leaf-lined bowls and wood-fired stoves and has already garnered over 9.4 million views!

Scrolling through the comments was like sitting at a homely dinner table; you’ll see everything from nostalgia to adoration in there. “We Bengali call it Chanar cake,” someone noted, while another user insisted, “Please don’t call it cheesecake; call it a paneer cake.” A few recommended where to get the best version of the sweet dish; Bhubaneswar’s Truptee Sweets got a name drop for its balance of sugar, texture, and technique in this regard.

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The Rich History Of Chhena Poda

Here’s the part many outside Odisha may not know: Chhena Poda wasn’t some carefully engineered recipe. Legend has it that a confectioner in Nayagarh, Odisha, once left a mix of chhena (fresh cottage cheese), sugar, and semolina in an oven overnight. By morning, what could’ve been a kitchen disaster turned out to be a golden-hued, crusty-on-the-outside and juicy-on-the-inside sweet treat. And just like that, a dessert was born.

Social media comments show people keep calling it “burnt Basque cheesecake” or “paneer cake.” And while similarities are inevitable, Chhena Poda’s regal history transcends those comparisons. With its rustic, caramelised aura and deep ties to Odisha’s cultural and religious fabric, it remains an iconic dish. Locals even believe it was once cooked inside the kitchens of Puri’s Jagannath Temple.

For purists, the traditional preparation matters as much as the taste. In the original recipe, chhena is mixed with semolina and sugar, flavoured with cardamom, and then packed into bowls lined with sal or banana leaves. When sliced open, it’s soft and juicy inside, with a caramelised crust that forms naturally.

Also Read: Puri To Become Odisha’s Sixth Municipal Corporation To Boost Tourism And Civic Services

Chhena Poda isn’t just another aesthetic dessert for reels. It’s wrapped in layers of cultural significance, temple history, and homegrown culinary know-how. Odisha’s food scene rarely gets the same nationwide spotlight as other states, but this sweet might be changing that.

Cover Image Courtesy: theyummymania/X