Pakhala Bhata

Fermented rice water — cooked rice soaked in water overnight or for several hours until it ferments slightly, becoming cool, sour, and deeply refreshing. Eaten at room temperature or chilled, with a tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, sliced onion, green chilli, cucumber, and grated coconut alongside. The summer staple of Odisha eaten by farmers, fishermen, and rural households to beat the extreme Odisha heat; there is a dedicated Pakhala Dibasa (World Pakhala Day) on 20th March each year.