The beguiling Bengali cuisine!

Varun Das

As one talks of Bengalis, what comes foremost to the mind is their perpetual craving for maach (fish) and bhat (rice). Bengalis are known to indulge in gastronomic delights frequently. In contrast to the popular belief, however, their love of food goes beyond their premier dishes, like the oily Hilsa fish or milk-made Sandesh sweets, which are rather symbolic of their culture. In fact, Bengali households tend to enjoy an array of traditional cuisines, which are humanly impossible not to drool over.   

Chef speak  

“A typical Bengali meal would consist of bhaat (rice) and jhol (curry). Curry, combined with steamed rice, makes for a simple yet delicious meal”, opines Rohit Banerjee, a Chandigarh-based chef originally hailing from West Bengal. “Traditional Bengali meals are generally accompanied with some ‘bhaja’. The word ‘bhaja’ literally stands for ‘fried’. Fried brinjal (begun bhaja), fried potatoes (aloo bhaja), fried fish (maach bhaja), just to name a few of them. Traditionally, Bengalis mash the ‘bhaja’ with rice and curry, as it enhances the taste.” Signature dishes of cuisine are shukto, macher paturi, lobongo latika and Mughlai paratha:  

Shukto: Shukto, a bitter-sweet assortment of vegetables, is served prior to the meal, to enhance the appetite. Prepared using bitter gourd, milk, veggies and spices, this appetizer also offers several health benefits.  

Macher paturi: The name of this dish rings a bell if you are into seafoods. As the name ‘paturi’ (leaf) suggests, it is prepared by wrapping a fish in edible leaves (preferably banana leaves), and then marinated with ‘sorsebata’ (mustard seed paste).  

Lobongo latika: If you have a sweet tooth, this is the right choice for you. A traditional sweetmeat coated with sugar syrup, ‘lobongo latika’ is prepared using dough, raisins, coconut, cloves and kheer.  

Mughlai paratha: Introduced in the era of the Mughal empire, this mouth-watering paratha is prepared with the use of flour, ghee and chopped coriander leaves; and stuffed with eggs or keema, to add to the taste.  

Get it at  

Bengali Food Hub, in Sector 47, is a haven for all the Bengali food-lovers in the city. The outlet offers a full-fledged Bengali thali, and a variety of other traditional cuisines like, chingri (prawn) malai curry, egg roll, and so on. Jai Durga Sweets-34 sells popular Bengali sweets like white roshogullas, light kacha gollas, enticing kheer kadams and more.