Bangla Bhojon

There’s more to Bengali cuisine than just ‘Rosogollas’ and ‘Maccher Jhol’ says Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal.

Bengal has long been cited as the land of plenty and more so when it comes to its cuisine. Bengali food is a revelation for the uninitiated. It is a fusion of textures - crisp bhajas, grainy mustard sauces, oily fish head biting into juicy prawns - and a tactile feat of picking one's way through fish bones to get at spicy, delicious bits of Ilish, and thin, light luchis that put puris to shame. And then there is Panchphoran! the five-spice mixture that is the mainstay of Bengali food.

The gastronomic side of the state really comes into its own during Durga Puja, one of the biggest and most celebrated festivals among the Bengali Hindu community. The Durga Puja festival that is prevalent today is a folk form of an ancient custom that is celebrated in the month of Ashwin or Kartik (i.e. months of September and October according to the English calendar year). Durga Puja has always been a massive affair in Kolkata, but with Bengalis having moved all over the world in search of their destiny it is now celebrated anywhere that has a large enough Bengali community. Spread out over a period of four hectic days, the ‘aarti’ performed every evening and Bhog or ritual offerings of the goddess’s favourites made to the deity are the highlights.

The ritualistic approach to Bengali food is not limited to festivals however. The entire process of preparing, cooking, serving and even the order in which food is consumed is taken very seriously on a daily basis. Rice is the staple, and cold pressed golden mustard oil is the pungent Bengali-cooking medium. The “ranna-ghar” or cookhouse is the centre of the Bengali home. It is here that the magical meals are conjured out of mere ingredients! Preparation for each dish is elaborate, with emphasis being laid not only on freshness but also how certain fish and vegetables are cut. Spice combinations are precise and each dish is individually made. In more orthodox Bengali homes, fish and vegetables might still be cooked over separate fires and lamb, if cooked, is done on a makeshift fire outside the kitchen.

The Bengalis are passionate about their fish (fresh as well as salt water). Ilish or hilsa holds a very special place in the diet. The head is fried and cooked with rice, dal or vegetables, popular belief attributing consumption of fish head as good for the brain! Nothing goes waste in a Bengali kitchen, the tail and bones are stir fried into a fiery 'churchuri.' Although Bengali cuisine is predominantly fish-based, it has a treasure trove of varied vegetarian fare as well. The credit for the variety of vegetarian dishes in the Bengali repertoire can be laid at the feet of the Hindu widows. Strict religious codes of the past, prescribed only vegetarian food and proscribed even onion and garlic. Food was to be prepared in a separate kitchen and consumed within its confines, but this monastic existence led to great ingenuity. The search for variety in the face of such great limitations resulted in culinary gems!

Bengalis are perhaps first among food lovers in India. Leisurely meals comprising of many items and requiring hours of labor and ingenuity have long been a major part of Bengali culture. Food is traditionally consumed sitting on the floor on mats or asans. In front of each asan is placed a large platter fashioned out of bell metal/steel or a large section of banana leaf. Around this platter are positioned a number of small bowls in which portions of dal, vegetables, fish, meat, chutney and dessert will eventually be served. Rice enjoys the pride of place in the center of the platter flanked by vegetable fritters, wedges of lime, whole green chilies and perhaps a bit of pickle. The piece de resistance is the little hole in the middle of the mound of rice that is topped up with a spoonful of ghee!

Whatever the number of dishes the most important part of eating a Bengali meal is eating each dish separately with a little bit of rice in order to savour its individual flavours. The order of consumption goes from the more delicately flavoured dishes first and slowly graduating to stronger ones. Vegetables, especially bitter ones, come first, followed by dal, perhaps accompanied by fries or fritters of fish and vegetables. Then come complex vegetable dishes like Ghanto or Chachchari, the important fish Jhol as well as other fish preparations in that order. Meat will always follow fish and chutneys or ambals will provide the refreshing touch of tartness to make the tongue anticipate the sweet dishes.

The textures of the food are appreciated first by the fingers and then enter the mouth. The other notable factor about Bengali eating habits is the amassing of miscellaneous debris by the plate. Vegetable stalks, fish heads, meat, fish and chicken bones, are all meticulously chewed to extract the very last drop of flavour prior to being added to the heap with accompanying sounds of chomps and slurps (a measure of the quality of the meal) and a great burp as the crescendo!

Bengali cuisine has many dishes in its repertoire, some of the more popular ones include: Bhapeys, in which fish are usually steamed with freshly ground mustard; Paturis, in which fish is wrapped in banana leaves; Malaaikari is a dish in which crustaceans are cooked with coconut; Kosha Mangsho, which could either be lamb or goat meat cooked with onions and served with a rich, thick gravy; Ambole, is sour vegetables or fruit stewed with spices and vegetables fish or sugar; Bora or vadas usually made of a dal and chachchari (a stir fry of vegetables, which may or may not include small fried fish); Dalna (quartered vegetables cooked in sweetish gravy), and Ghonto (a mish mash of a vegetable with spices garnished with crushed fried Boris). Dalna and Ghonto are served before the non-vegetarian fare.

No Bengali meal is complete without catering to the sweet tooth and Bengali sweets are well known and popular all over the country. Misti doi, the sweet curd flavored with caramelized sugar; Rossogolla, the all time favourite; Sandesh, the delicate offerings of curdled milk solids and Chhana - curdled milk with the water removed, sugar and flavoring are some of the major sweet specialties of this region.