Footpath ovens glow, and thin streams of smoke rise from tiny pitha stalls across Dhaka—bringing with them the unmistakable warmth and nostalgia of rural winter. As jaggery melts on hot pans and steam escapes from clay pots, the city’s streets briefly feel like a slice of countryside, offering urban residents a taste of the winter traditions they miss.
Winter in Dhaka may not come with village-style pitha festivals, Nabanna celebrations, or courtyard gatherings, but the city holds its own distinct charm.
Tiny ovens bake chitoi in round moulds, pots hiss with steam from bhapa pitha, and customers choose their favourite pairings—dried fish and chilli or mustard paste. Many pause to take photos or record videos for social media, adding to the festive atmosphere.
The aroma drifting from these makeshift stalls keeps the winter spirit alive in the capital. With hemanta fading, temperatures continue to fall, and by evening every street corner, alley, and pavement fills with the sweet, earthy scent of freshly made pitha.
This season, mobile pitha stalls have replaced summer favourites like lemonade and ice cream. Vendors on small vans prepare chitoi, bhapa, jhinuk pitha, pati shapta and more, drawing in pedestrians with sizzling pans and warm, sugary fragrances.
These festive pitha stalls can be seen prominently near the TSC area, Mirpur’s Love Road, Muhammadpur’s Central Hall Road, Solimuddin Road, Old Dhaka’s Laxmibazar Municipal Office Street, and Gendariya’s Distillery Road.
Customers crowd the stalls, especially on chilly evenings. Shengmi Chambugong Madhuri, a student from Sherpur, says the pitha reconnects her with home. “In my village, winter means pitha festivals. These stalls are the closest thing to that in Dhaka,” she said.
Dhaka has also added unique twists to traditional winter pithas. Egg chitoi, chicken chitoi, egg bhapa, chicken bhapa, and vegetable bhapa are urban specialties, rarely found in villages. Other street treats include khola pitha and chit ruti served with duck curry, giving the city’s winter stalls a distinctive edge.
Village pithas bring the taste of home, but Dhaka has added its own urban flair to the winter classics.For residents, these stalls offer a brief escape from city life, a reminder of the rural winter they once knew. For vendors, they open a gateway to extra income.
Abbas Mia, who sets up his stall in front of the Dhaka University Central Library, once worked as a day labourer. In winter, he turns to pitha. “Winter is here. I make pitha and sell it to earn a few extra money,” he said while layering warm jaggery-coated pithas
Each pitha sells for 10 to 40 taka. Depending on stall size, vendors make 150 to 500 pieces a day, earning between 2,000 and 5,000 taka. Many sellers expect business to rise as winter deepens.
At Kawran Bazar, vendor Salma Begum echoed the optimism. Business started off slowly, she said, but she expects a surge in sales by late December and through January.
As Dhaka grows colder, these humble street-side stalls do more than serve snacks—they keep alive a tradition that binds city dwellers to the warmth, flavour, and memory of a rural winter that never truly leaves Bangladesh.
