Different parts of Bengal are famed for certain dishes, food items and ingredients. For example,
South Bengali districts around the
Sundarbans boast of the expensive
chui jhal chilli, which they peel and chop into small pieces to be cooked in their dishes and give off a strong aroma. On the other hand,
North Bengal are the homes of many Bengali desserts such as the
Mishti doi of
Bogra, the Kachagolla of
Natore and the
Chomchom of
Porabari. However, other regions also have famous desserts like the
Balish Mishti (pillow-sweet) of
Netrokona, the Monda of
Muktagachha, the
Red Yoghurt of
Nabadwip and the famed
Roshmolai of
Comilla.
Chittagong Chittagonian Bengali culinary tradition is mostly known for
Mezban and mixed rice dishes like
kala bhuna, which has shoulder pieces of beef and traditional spices.
Dried fish (
shutki) is more available in the Chittagong region than in other parts of Bengal.
Mezban Mezban (locally known as
Mejjan) is the Bengali word for special occasion feasts in the
Chittagong region of Bangladesh. Historically Mezbani is a traditional regional feast where people are invited to enjoy a meal with
white rice and
beef, besides other dishes rich in animal fat and dairy. The rich and the poor arrange feasts on various occasions as much as circumstances allow them. It has a distinct style of cooking and proper Mezban meat demands a certain skill; Fish is used instead of beef while cooking Mezban in Hindu tradition. The Hindu community of Chittagong organises Mezbani each year under the banner of "Chittagong Parishad", with curries made from fish, vegetable and dried fish. The
Nawabs of Dhaka had brought Mughlai cuisine to Bengal, that were wholly retained by Dhaka's culinary community. Due to the high costs of producing Mughlai food, the recipes were limited to the elite classes in colonial India, and slowly expanded as Bangladesh's economy grew. The main focus on lamb, mutton, beef, yoghurt, and mild spices define the taste of the style. Such dishes as kebab; stuffed breads;
kacchi biriyani; roast lamb, duck, and chicken;
patisapta; Kashmiri tea; and
korma are still served at special occasions like
Eid and weddings. Due to the high class of the food, using an excess amount of expensive ingredients like ghee, and making the food melt in one's mouth were essential to the feel of the food. Old Dhaka boasts a variation of the famous
pilaf - the Morog Polao - in which the rice is cooked after and the chicken pieces are cut. Other include and . Dhakaiyas are noted for introducing
paneer and boiled eggs to
khichuri. Dhakaiyas proudly hold a heritage of creating the best
khili paan using various herbs and spices. They also offer a khili paan for diabetic patients called the "paan afsana".
Haji biryani is a dish, invented by a restaurateur in 1939, made with highly seasoned rice,
goat's meat and number of spices and nuts. The restaurant has become an integral part of Dhakaiya culture.
Kolkata In Kolkata, many local street vendors own small shops from which they sell their own homemade goods. Items like cheeses (
paneer) can be eaten as is, or can be made into sweet
sandesh,
rosomalai,
rosogolla, or
chanar payesh. Milk is especially used in Kolkata's various types of payesh, differing in use of different grains and additives like dates, figs, and berries. In addition to European foodstuffs like chocolate, Kolkata takes culinary influence from its Chinese diaspora, most prominently seen in
Indian Chinese cuisine.
Phuchka, known the rest of India as
panipuri, is a common kind of Bengali street food made with a fried dough casing and a potato and chickpea filling, usually found in small stalls alongside
bhelpuri,
masala chai,
ghugni and
chaat stalls.
Influences During the 19th century many Odia cooks migrated to Bengal to work in the households of affluent Kolkata families. They were also hired to cook in weddings and other family ceremonies. Introduction of
Odia cooks into their kitchens brought in subtle but significant changes to Kolkata's cuisine. Some of Kolkata's classic dishes were originally from Odisha but were refined in Kolkata kitchens by Odia cooks. In fact some researchers say that dishes like
kanika (Bengali
mishti pulao) were first introduced to Kolkata kitchens by
Odia cooks although this is contested by other researchers. Even to this date most of the cooks in Kolkata kitchens and hotels are Odia cooks. The
Chinese of Kolkata originally settled into a village called
Achipur south of
Kolkata in the late 18th century, later moving into the city and finally into its present home in
Tangra at the eastern edge of Kolkata. The Chinese-origin people of Kolkata form a substantial and successful community with a distinct identity. With this identity came Chinese food, available at almost every street corner in Kolkata at present, due to the taste, quick cooking procedure, and no similarity with the original Chinese recipe other than the use of soy sauce. They were mostly
Cantonese tradesmen and sailors who first settled down here and decided to cook with whatever items they had at hand. Calcuttan immigrants to other countries have started carrying this abroad as well; Indian Chinese food has been given a second boost in popularity since the 1950s when a large number of Tibetans migrated into Indian Territory, following the
14th Dalai Lama's flight. Tibetans brought their own taste preferences to add to the genre, such as the popular
momo (a kind of dumpling) or
thukpa (a hearty noodle soup). Tibetans and Nepali immigrants found ready employment in the many kitchens that can now be found on virtually every street in Kolkata.
Adda Adda () is a traditional Bengali means of socialising over food during the work day. Food taken during adda consists usually of mishti or
sweetmeats, tea, and coffee, although heartier meats such as fried fish may be brought out as well. The adda saw a rise during the colonial era among the
Bhadralok guild members to meet and talk about a range of topics:"You could be discussing Charles and Camilla's marriage this moment, and the next moment you're swinging over to the latest cricket series between India and Pakistan, and then swing back to the recent controversy over
Tagore." Being a hobby for artisans, women were largely secluded from adda, a sentiment that has begun to disappear with the democratisation of adda and women occupying a larger space in social life. For this reason, adda was seen as a refuge "...from the home, a neutral rendezvous away from both the perceived drudgery of the workplace and domesticity".
Sylhet Sylhet boasts a variation of the famous
pilaf dish –
Akhni polao – in which the rice is cooked after and the chicken pieces are cut. Commonly consumed varieties of meat include beef,
chicken,
mutton and duck/goose in dishes such as
Hash O Bash. They also proudly hold the heritage of
Beef Hatkora, a rice dish consisting of a wild citrus fruit not found in other parts of Bengal. During the British period, biscuits and
loaves were introduced in Sylhet and received popularity within the Muslim community. The middle-class
Hindus of
Cachar and Sylhet however were very suspicious of biscuits and breads as they believed they were baked by Muslims. In one occasion, a few Hindus in Cachar caught some Englishman eating biscuits with tea which caused an uproar. The information reached the Hindus of Sylhet and a little rebellion occurred. In response to this, companies started to advertise their bread as "machine-made" and "untouched by (Muslim) hand" to tell Hindus that the breads were "safe for consumption". This incident is mentioned in
Bipin Chandra Pal's autobiography and he mentions how gradually culinary habits of Hindus eventually changed. == Utensils ==