Bengali cuisine

combinations. These include: Rice, broken red lentils, broken mung beans mustard oil, mustard paste , coconut,fresh water carp, freshwater catfish,prawns and scampi and a variety of (35to 40 ) fresh water fishes. Dried sea fish also is used it is called Shutki maachh.Of particular delicacy is the hilsa which in terms of migratory behaviour behaves like the salmon, The varied salt content at different stages of the journey is of particular interest to the gastronome. The migrants from bangladesh ( earlier called east bengal) tend to use more of dried fish while natives of bengal use more of fresh water fish. The spices commonly used include cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bayleaves, peppercornetc... . A very commonly used spice combination is called Panch Phoron. Panch Phoron literally means the tempering of five ingredients which include Fennel, cumin, nigellaseeds, mustard seeds, and fenugreek seeds ( celery seeds called randhuni may also be added in some versions). The typical Bengali fare includes a certain sequence of food. Rice remains common through out the meal till before the chutney course. The starting course is generally bitter and is usually fried bittergourd or fried neem leaves this may be replaced with athin soupy, bitter sweet item called Shukto. Shaak or leafy vegetable preparations like spinach or fenugreek or amaranth follows this it is accompanied with a sharp mustard paste called Kasundi. This is followed by a dal and bhaja (fritters made of aubergine or pumpkin or plain potatoes or even fish) and avegetable preparation usually made of multiple vegetable components. Depending on the type of preparation the vegetable could be called a Labra, or Chorchori or Ghonto or chanchra ;there also are ahost of other preparations that do not come under any of these catageory and are simply called Torkari. The next course is the fish course ( and then the mutton course ( Chicken and eggs are only a contemporary addition).Common fish delicacies include maacher jhol, tel koi, Pabda maacher jhaal, Doi maachh, Chingrimaachher malai curryand bhaapa ilish. Beef and pork are by and large still a Taboo except in certain sections. Then comes the Chutney course which are typically Tangy and sweet they could be made of tomatoes or pinapple or tamarind or raw papaya or just a combination of fruits and dry fruits. Papads are generally accompaniments to the chutneys. The Bengali is noted for his sweet tooth, The sweets of bengal can be made of cottage cheese (chhenna), or Khoa (reduced solidified milk) or Of Flours of different cereals and pulses. The different sweets of bengal include rasogolla, chumchum, sandesh, mishti doi, chhanar jilepi, kalo jam, darbesh, raghobshai, Payesh, nalengurer sandesh, Shor bhaja and an innumerable variety of peethe to name just a few.

For any clarifications you can mail me at chayan_banerji@hotmail.com I shall be glad to reciprocate to queries in the periphery of my understanding. Iwork as a food production lecturer at a college affiliated to Osmania University.