What to Eat in Bodh Gaya Today?

Bihari staples

Litti chokha is the dish to try first. The litti are wheat balls stuffed with spiced sattu (roasted gram flour), baked over coals and dipped in ghee. They come with chokha, a smoky mash of roasted aubergine, tomato and potato. It is a lunch dish, and simple places near the temple do it well.

Sattu shows up again at breakfast in the sattu paratha, a stuffed flatbread served with pickle or curd. Sattu is filling and cooling, which is why it is eaten across Bihar through the hot months too.

Sweets

Thekua is a hard, crunchy biscuit of wheat flour and jaggery, often with fennel. It is the offering made during Chhath Puja in October or November, and it keeps well for a train journey. Silao khaja comes from the small town of Silao near Nalanda. It is a flaky, layered pastry soaked in syrup and has a GI tag. Buy it fresh if you can, as it loses its crunch.

Tibetan food

Tibetan pilgrims and monks have made thukpa and momos a local food. A bowl of thukpa is welcome on a foggy December night. The cafés near the monasteries also serve porridge, pancakes and coffee for the early risers who have been at the temple since dawn.

Tips

• Many cafés are busiest in the winter season, when pilgrims arrive, and quieter in summer.
• Eat your main meal at lunch in the hot months, when the town slows down in the afternoon.
• Drink bottled or filtered water.

See where to eat for restaurants near the temple.