Bihari cuisine rarely gets the spotlight that Punjabi or South Indian food does — which is strange, because it's one of the most distinctive regional food traditions in India. Here are 10 Bihari foods worth seeking out, whether you grew up with them or you're discovering them for the first time.
1. Litti Chokha
Roasted wheat-and-sattu balls served with a smoky mashed-vegetable chokha — Bihar's most iconic dish, and rightly so.
2. Thekua
A dense, deep-fried wheat-and-jaggery sweet, central to Chhath Puja and festival prasad. It's also the one Bihari food that travels and keeps exceptionally well, which is why it's become Kasaar's flagship product — try our Thekua here.
3. Sattu Paratha / Sattu Sharbat
Roasted gram flour used in everything from stuffed parathas to a cooling summer drink — a Bihari kitchen staple.
4. Chana Ghugni
A spiced black chickpea curry, often eaten as a snack or light meal, especially in winter.
5. Dal Pitha
Steamed rice-flour dumplings stuffed with spiced lentils —ubiquitous at Bihari weddings and festivals.
6. Khaja
A flaky, syrup-soaked layered sweet from Silao, near Nalanda — one of Bihar's most famous sweet exports.
7. Anarsa
A rice-flour and jaggery sweet with a distinctive sesame-seed crust, usually made for weddings and Diwali.
8. Makhana (Fox Nuts)
Bihar produces the majority of India's makhana — roasted and lightly salted, it's now a mainstream health snack nationwide.
9. Malpua
A sweet, ghee-fried pancake soaked in sugar syrup, common at festivals across the Purvanchal belt.
10. Nimki (Namak Para)
A crisp, savoury snack made from spiced maida — the counterpart to Thekua's sweetness on a festival thali.
Where to Start
If you only try one thing from this list, make it Thekua — it's the most accessible entry point and the one Bihari food that genuinely doesn't taste like anything else in Indian cuisine. Curious why it's such a big deal? Read why Kasaar's Thekua tastes like home, then order a batch and see for yourself.
