Kanika (food)

Kanika is an aromatic sweet rice dish of the Odia tradition, made for festivals and pujas. It is one of the cooked items among the fifty-six dishes prepared as part of the Mahaprasada, or Chappan Bhoga, at the Jagannath Temple, where it is offered to Lord Jagannath as part of the morning meal known as sakala dhupa. The dish is made from fragrant rice cooked with ghee, raisins and cashews and flavoured with whole and ground spices, namely black and green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, mace, bay leaf and nutmeg, together with sugar, salt and turmeric. The result is a mildly sweet, richly spiced rice that is eaten as temple food and festival fare rather than as an everyday meal.