Tekeli Pitha: Assam’s steamed morning ritual battles modern tastes

At around 6 am every day, small tea stalls tucked into corners and beneath flyovers in Guwahati spring to life. Alongside steaming cups of chai, one item draws early risers in queues—the soft, fragrant tekeli pitha, still warm from the kettle.

Made from rice flour and a coconut-jaggery filling, tekeli pitha was once a staple of Assamese breakfasts. The delicacy derives its name from its preparation method - the batter is delicately steamed over the spout of a pitcher, or tekeli, until it turns fluffy white.

For many, it carries the nostalgia of home-cooked mornings when mothers and grandmothers prepared pithas with love, children devoured them hot and families bonded over their first meal of the day.

“I remember my aunt making the best tekeli pitha when I was a child. It was soft, filled with jaggery, and absolutely mouth-watering. I had them every time we went to our village,” recalled Pompy Nath.

Once deeply tied to Assamese identity and celebrations like Bihu, tekeli pitha symbolised warmth, togetherness, and heritage. But today, this simple delicacy is fast fading from urban kitchens.

The pace of city life and changing food habits have pushed families toward quicker alternatives—continental breakfasts, ready-to-eat snacks, and food delivery apps.

Morning-only trade

Amid this shift, small vendors have stepped in to fill the gap. In Guwahati, stalls selling tekeli pitha at dawn have become the last link to a tradition that has quietly slipped out of homes. By 9 or 10 am, however, the stalls are gone, overtaken by demand for fast lunches and modern snacks.

“I sell tekeli pitha only in the morning. By nine, the crowd disappears. After that, nobody asks for it, so I work as a maid for the rest of the day,” said Bhamita Deka, who has been making and selling the dish for over a year.

Tea stall near Commerce College, Guwahati

For vendors like Deka, tekeli pitha is both cultural preservation and economic necessity. But the business is hardly sustainable. “People rush to offices, so they buy it from us. But once the morning ends, it becomes difficult to sell even one piece,” she explained.

Originally from Mangaldai, Deka moved to Guwahati seeking stability for her family. “I have to look after my son’s education. That’s why I also take up housework jobs beyond selling tekeli pitha. People now want quick snacks and fast food,” she said.

Generations still connected

The delicacy finds little space in restaurants or food delivery apps, leaving its survival largely in the hands of street vendors. Yet tekeli pitha has not disappeared altogether. It continues to hold pride of place at food fairs and Bihu melas, celebrated as an enduring symbol of Assam’s culinary heritage.

“My father brings it home after his morning walk. We enjoy it with tea. I cannot think of making it myself—it probably takes hours, and I have to be in office by 11,” said Jimli Kalita of Six Mile, a reminder that despite challenges, tekeli pitha still unites people across generations.

The question, however, lingers - will traditional breakfasts like tekeli pitha endure as a living custom, or slip into nostalgia, reserved only for festivals and special occasions? For now, its legacy rests with vendors like Bhamita Deka, who remarked, “It is our responsibility to keep such traditions close to our hearts.”

As Guwahati races ahead with modern tastes, tekeli pitha stands resilient—balanced precariously between fading family kitchens, fleeting morning stalls and the quiet determination of those who still steam it over kettles at dawn.

By Nikita Hazarika