Assamese cuisine The 'poitabhat' preparation is sometimes made alcoholic according to preference. Side dishes called "pitika - পিটিকা" (mashes) is a signature characteristic of this cuisine. The most popular is "aloo pitika - আলু পিটিকা" (mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. "Khorisa tenga" is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. "Kharoli" is fermented mashed mustard ("Brassica campestris" var. toria) seed to which a "khar" has been added, and "kahudi" to which an acidic agent (lemon juice, dried mangosteen) has been added. "Pitika"s are also made from roasted or steamed
Indian cuisine generally common in Indian cooking, is absent in the cuisine of Assam. A traditional meal in Assam begins with a "khar", a class of dishes named after the main ingredient and ends with a "tenga", a sour dish. Homebrewed rice beer or rice wine is served before a meal. The food is usually served in bell metal utensils. "Paan", the practice of chewing betel nut, generally concludes a meal. Bihari cuisine is wholesome and simple. "Litti chokha", a baked salted wheat-flour cake filled with "sattu" (baked chickpea flour) and some special spices, is well known among the middle-class families served