Bengali Kitchen

7/29/2019 Bengali Kitchen

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BENGALI KITCHEN

Woman with Peacock - Kalighat Painting, c. 1800, Calcutta

Tamala Krsna: .....every place has its special fruits and vegetables.Prabhupada: Yes.Tamala Krsna: It seems in that respect that Bengal is very opulent in varieties of vegetables.

Prabhupada: And fish. They prepare varieties of preparation of fish. Mache jol, mache tal, mache dal, macheradorma.(?) They kill this jhasere koi (?) and paste with mustard and fry it in oil. (Bengali)Bhakti-caru: (Bengali)Prabhupada: They know more of fish preparation and also vegetable. (Bengali)Bhakti-caru: (Bengali)Prabhupada: (Bengali) Krsna bado doyamoy, koribare jihwa jay. Krsna-prasada... (Bengali conversation) The real factis that thisjivo jivasya jivanam. One life is food for another life. That is nature's way. But one has to pass through somany varieties of life, evolution.Jalaja nava-laksani. How many millions of years we'll take to evolve to become a

human being. Then he gets chance of Krsna consciousness. Payeche manava janma, mano ranjanam alpa.(?) Bahunamjanmanam ante. Emona janma, thisjanma, manusya-janma. And if we miss and don't get Krsna, again glide down.Mam aprapya mrtyu-samsara. Again you fall down. I'll eat you; you eat me. And the aquatic, 900,000 species,varieties of life. The same struggle, one fish eating another fish. Struggle within the water. A small fish can understandthree miles away a big fish is coming. It is all stated in the Bhagavata. This struggle is going on.


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Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation, Vrindaban, 07-17-77

Bengalis are famous for being great lovers of food. Nowhere is this truer than in

devotional circles, where the Gaudiya Vaisnavas spread Krsna Consciousness worldwidethrough the preparation, distribution and enjoyment of Krsna prasadam.

In Bengal, food is categorized as being kancha (uncooked or unripe) orpaka (cooked orripe). Bengali meals take long hours of preparation in the kitchen, great mastery ofcooking skills, and the best of fresh produce and foodstuffs. Meals are traditionally takenon the floor, where everyone sits on an asana, pieces of carpet or small cushions. On topof a large thali covered with a banana leaf are placed many small bowls filled withportions of dal, sabjis, chutneys and raitas, sweets, etc. Around the edges of the banana

leaf one might find a bit of salt and a wedge of lime, a little dab of fried spinach andsome fried potatoes, and perhaps a fried brinjal split lengthwise with the stem stillattached. In the center of the thali a mound of rice is flanked with fritters or savouries,wedges of lime, whole green chillies and perhaps a bit of pickle. Finally, in the center of

the rice mound a little hole is made and a spoonful of ghee is poured in, to flavour theinitial mouthfuls of rice. A portion of maha prasadam may be added to each thali, or setat the center on special serving plates.

Each dish is taken separately with a little bit of rice so the full flavor and uniqueness can

be experienced. The lighter, more delicate tastes always come first so the palate isn

overwhelmed by stronger tastes. Vegetables are the first item taken, and bitters areparticularly placed first because they enliven the digestive system. We sometimes hearthat sweets are also eaten near the beginning of the meal. Vegetables are followed bydal, which may be accompanied by savouries or breads. After this, the more complex

sabjis are taken, along with chutneys and raitas. The tart chutneys also help the palateto anticipate the sweet dishes to come.

chatur-vidha-sri-bhagavat-prasada-

swadv-anna-triptan hari-bhakta-sanghan

kritwaiva triptim bhajatah sadaiva

vande guroh sri-charanaravindam"The spiritual master is always offering Krsna four kinds of deliciousfood [analyzed as that which is licked, chewed, drunk, and sucked].When the spiritual master sees that the devotees are satisfied by

eating bhagavat-prasada, he is satisfied. I offer my respectfulobeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master."

Sri Gurv-astaka

Bengalis usually eat everything with their fingers, and prefer to appreciate all the varioustextures rather than use silverware to get the food from thali to mouth. Each individualhas their own unique way of handling the foodstuffs. While one person might very neatlypick up small portions of rice and vegetables, fingers barely touching the food, another

will enthusiastically mash the foods together into manageable clumps. Still others artfullyform bite-sized balls of rice and sabji in their palms before flicking with the thumb to pop


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the ball into their mouth. The rougher, 'village style' eaters might be seen licking theirpalms... all the way up to their wrists!

Daily MealsBreakfast: Just before breakfast, a deputed family member is likely to take a little moori(puffed rice) and beverage before making the morning trip to market. Breakfast onweekdays is typically comprised of roti or paratha with tarkar, or perhaps just a quick

meal of moori with milk, or ghugni with bread. Weekend breakfasts might also includepuri with alur dam and some sweets.

Lunch: In the typical Bengali household, lunch is the main meal of the day. The menuvaries with the seasons. In the hot months, cool beverages are taken along with bitters,which have a cooling effect, followed by rice, dal and sabji. In very hot weather, just dal,rice and chapati might be taken. Khicuri is a favorite during the monsoon, taken with

tarkari and pickles. The colder the weather, the heavier the preparations.

Snacks: A variety of snacks might be taken after lunch, including fried potato tikkas orfritters, tiffins, or handfuls of crunchie fried nibblers.

Dinner: Dinner is not a big affair in typical Bengali households. Lunchtime leftoversmight be taken, along with a little sabji or bhaja. In place of rice, breads like roti or pooriare likely to be taken.

Methods of CookingBengalis have a number of cooking methods that are used according to the availability of

seasonal ingredients and the state of the weather itself. For example, when the summertemperature and humidity is raising, Bengalis enjoy taking light stews, while duringmonsoon season they prefer fried savouries and khichuri. In the winter, thick curries andmore breads are enjoyed. Some of the unique Bengali cooking methods include:

Bhapa: Steaming foods, including vegetables

Phoron: A uniquely Bengali type of tempering, often used in dals.

Bhaja: Pakora or other fried savouries dipped in besan batter and fried.

Ambal: A sour tamarind base dish with vegetables. Ambals are often taken at the end ofa meal, before sweets, and are more common in summer.

Bhaja: Anything fried by itself or in batter.

Bharta: Vegetables that are first boiled whole, then mashed and seasoned with ghee ormustard oil and spices.

Charchari: Mixed vegetables that are often seasoned with phoron, and sometimes may

be cooked to dryness.

Dalna: Vegetables in a thick gravy seasoned with ground spices and ghee.


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Ghanto: Chopped or grated vegetables cooked with both a phoron and a complexmasala, often with boris added.

Korma: Vegetables cooked in a mild yogurt based sauce and ghee.

Pora: Vegetables are burnt over direct fire, mixed with oil and spices.

Bengali Sweetmeats"Sweetmeats occupy an important place in the diet of Bengalis and at their social

ceremonies. It is an ancient custom among Hindus to distribute sweets at pujas. Sweetsare also distributed at the end of Muslim milads. Traditionally, Bengalis distribute sweetsamong neighbours and relatives on a variety of occasions such as births, engagements,

weddings, success in examinations etc. Because Bengali sweets are made from curd,they form an important part of the daily diet. The sweetmeat industry has flourished

because of its close links with social and religious ceremonies. Competition and changingtastes have helped to create many new sweets, and today this industry has grown notonly within the country but has also spread abroad.

In ancient times, sweets grew around the cultivation of rice paddy and sugar cane.Bengalis entertained guests with gud (sugar candy), made from sugarcane, palm or date

juice. A variety of sweets were made by mixing gud with coconut and chida (flattened

rice) or mudi (puffed rice). Several other dishes and cakes were made by adding gud todishes made with milk and unboiled rice flour or broken rice grains. Sweets were alsomade from powdered pulses, to which coconut and gud were added. These traditionalsweets continue to be made at home.

In addition to home-made sweets, Bengalis also buy sweetmeats prepared by mairas, orsweetmeat makers. Unlike northern Indian and Pakistani sweetmeats which are made ofksir (thickened milk), Bengali sweetmeats are made from curdled milk. The discovery ofthe process of curdling milk dates back to the Middle Ages. This discovery revolutionizedthe sweet culture of Bengalis. Since the 16th century, Bengali sweets were used inabundance by the Vaishnavas as they were vegetarian.

Various methods are used to make sweets attractive and tasty. For instance, cassialeaves, cardamom powder, raisins, cashew nuts and orange rind are used for flavour,variety, and decoration. Different colours are also used. Various moulds are used to giveattractive designs and shapes to sweets, especially sandesh (sandesh), a form ofsweetened cottage cheese.

Rasagolla (literally ball in sugar syrup) was first made by Haradhan Maira, a confectionerof Phulia, during the Bengal renaissance. These white cottage cheese balls in sugar syrupcreated a revolution in the sweetmeat industry and set the trend for the main sweets of

today. Nabinchandra Roy of Bagbazar, Kolkata, was the first to make 'sponge' rasagollain 1868. Several other sweets such as rajbhog, rasmalai, ksirmohan, raskadamba,danadar and chhanar mudki are transformations of rasagolla. The names of manyhistorical personalities are associated with this industry. A kind of brown sweet is called

ladycanny, in honour of Lady Canning, wife of Lord Canning (1856-1962), a governorgeneral of India. A darker version of ladycanny is known as kalojam (literally blackberry).

Different regions are renowned for different kinds of sweets. In West Bengal,

Krishnanagar was famous for sarbhaja and sarpuriya, Burdwan for sitabhog andmihidana, Midnapore for babarshah, Birbhum for morabba, Maldah for raskadamba and


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Jalpaiguri for chhanchi dai. In Bangladesh today, Porabari in tangail is famous forchamcham, muktagachha in mymensingh for manda, comilla for pyada and rasmalai,faridpur for malaikari, natore for kanchagolla and dhaka for amrti, jilipi and pranhara.

Porabari chamcham goes back about 150 years. The modern version of this sweet wasinspired by Raja Ramgore of Balia district in Uttar Pradesh. It was further modernised by

his grandson, Matilal Gore. This oval-shaped sweet is brownish in colour and of a densertexture than either rasagolla or ladycanny. It can also be preserved longer than thesetwo sweets. Granules of mawa or dried milk is sprinkled over chamcham. Muktagachha isknown for its manda, a kind of soft sandesh.

Pyada is made of thickened milk and sugar. Rasmalai is a kind of rasagolla, but thecottage cheese 'balls' are smaller in size and cylindrical rather than round. Instead offloating in sugar syrup, the 'balls' float in thickened milk. Rasmalai is also made in Dhakaand rangpur, but the cottage cheese balls are round like rasagolla. The word malai isderived from the Persian balai, which means cream of milk. Rasmalai is light almond in

colour. The malaikari of Faridpur is a kind of flattened rasagolla, covered with thickcream or khir. Natore's kanchagolla is a kind of rasagolla made by soaking curd in thick

sugar syrup, which is later strained through a sieve. Raskadam of rajshahi is a dry roundsweet, made of curd mixed with mawa. It is covered with tiny white beads of sugar and

resembles the kadam flower, common in Rajshahi and Maldah and a recurrent image invaisnava literature, folklore and ballads.

Bogra Dai is a specially rich, sweet yoghurt from Bogra. In the past, during the dryseason, large temporary cowsheds and buffalo sheds used to be erected in pastures inNorth Bengal. Around these sheds grew a flourishing yoghurt industry. These sheds werecalled bathan or bhawa which gave rise to the famous bhawaiya songs. To make yoghurtat these bathans, farmers used to boil milk and render it down to one-fourth its originalquantity. This is why Bogra yoghurt is almost like khir. Rasagolla of savar is also famous.Overcooking gives it the colour of burnt clay but it is very soft and delicious to eat.

Two old specialties of Dhaka are sweet and crisp amrti and jilipi. Powdered pulses andflour are made into a batter. The deft hands of the sweetmeat maker twirl the finestream of batter into hot oil. The fried amrti and jilipi are then soaked in sugar syrup.Dhaka is also famous for pranhara (literally, losing one's heart), which is a soft sandesh,made by mixing mawa and essence with curd.

The oldest makers of sweetmeats in Dhaka are Maranchand and Sons. Their fame hastravelled beyond the borders of Bangladesh. After the death of their founder, the qualityof their products suffered but they are still among the best known sweetmeat makers.Other well known sweetmeat makers are Alauddin Sweetmeat, Muslim Sweetmeat,

Vikrampur Mishtanna Bhandar, Banaful, Jadavghosh and Mohanchand. [Mahmud Nasir

Jahangiri]"

Excerpted from Banglapedia Dictionary

See theRegional Index of Recipesfor a host of wonderful preparations from Bengal.
http://www.harekrsna.com/practice/prasadam/recipes/regional.htmhttp://www.harekrsna.com/practice/prasadam/recipes/regional.htmhttp://www.harekrsna.com/practice/prasadam/recipes/regional.htmhttp://www.harekrsna.com/practice/prasadam/recipes/regional.htm

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Bengali Kitchen