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Bengali food fare

Dr Binoy Barman
hukta randhiyo na, payesh randhiyo na shukta payesh randley maney paira jai, ekdin Bangaii chhilam rey" -- the patriotic song reminds us of the rich Bengali cuisine flowing for ages through tradition and convention. The Bengalis who are famous as an epicurean nation have a unique array of foods to the total satisfaction of their tastesensitive tongues. The special list of eatables and the special eating habit have given their culture a distinctive shape. Food is as good as meaningful living for the Bengali.
Throughout the year the Bengalis eat special foods, which, however, come to their plates in a simple way, so that the speciality cannot be detected so easily. It becomes obvious only to the foreign eyes or when one visits a foreign land. Even the insignificant titbits, besides the staples, appear very different from those of other cultures. The home-grown grains, the way they are processed, and the manner they are taken -- all talk of different stories. Common people cannot understand the difference because of alienation from other cultures and integration in the indigenous one.
The Bengalis have many festivals, which are full of gastronomic delight. Some of them are related to religions such occasion celebrated by all kinds of people irrespective of caste and creed. The festival upholds the secular spirit of Bengali culture involving Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and other communities living with harmony on the alluvial soil by the Bay of Bengal. They celebrate the first day of Bangla calendar with eating traditional victuals along with wearing new clothes. They greet each other 'Shubha Nababarsha" and entertain good foods as per capacity.
Rice and fish are two Bengali common foods, which, however, hold an uncommon affinity with their consumers' soul. People eat them everyday; and they feel uneasy if they are away from them for a long time. Unfortunately, in Bangladesh, as the production of fish is falling drastically, with decreasing variety, the Bengali eating habit is tending to change. Pulse is taking the place of fish. Once it was said: “Dudhey Bhatey Bangaii," which later gave way to: “Machhey Bhatey Bangaii” though lately the slogan has been: "Daley Bhatey Bangaii." Poverty has been a major factor in this change. Poor people can hardly afford milk and fish. They are bound to include pulse in their daily menu. But pulse is also becoming costly day by day. We don’t know what will happen if pulse goes off the plates of common folks. They
will have to live on shak-pata, probably! Will they be able to buy leafy vegetables, anyway? The cost of leaves of lau, kumra, pui, data, palong and others is also on the rise. Will they ultimately have to starve, then?
The Bengali recipe includes a lot of spices. Daruchini.jira, sharisha, dhaney, elach, labanga, halud, marich, gol marich, peyaj, rashun, ada etc make the cooked foods tasty, causing secretion of saliva. Bengali tongue is not satisfied at all without them. The Bengalis are spicy not only in their eating habit but also in their temperament. They express their sense of humour
through spicy language.
The Bengalis have a spectacular arrangement of traditional cakes. Malpoa, patishapta, bhapa, chitai and numerous other cakes are prepared on special occasions. All of them have their distinct ways of preparation. For most of them, grinded or beaten rice or rice powder is used. Village women make guri' manually using traditional tools like 'kahal-chhiya' or 'pata-puta' with much labour. Guri is then mixed with sugar, molasses, coconut, banana, milk or other stuff and fried or baked as necessary. During the time of harvest, farmers celebrate
’nabanna', when different kinds of cakes are prepared.
Seasonal fruits are popular among the Bengalis. Mango and jackfruit are two major fruits in Bangladesh. Newly wed men go to their in-law's houses with bagful of mango in observance of the custom called Jamai Shashthi. Other fruits like banana, papaya, orange, pineapple, wood apple, pomegranate, blackberry and water melon --all turn out to be highly palatable to the Bengali gourmet.
Some are of the view that the traditional Bengali food culture is on the wane. The introduction of foreign foods, both from eastern and western fronts, is thought to be responsible for this. They point to the burgeoning business of foreign restaurants including the Chinese and Thai as an evidence of increasing popularity of them in the country. But it is not true, I suppose. Foreign foods are only consumed by a small proportion of the population. People only visit those restaurants for party and other formal occasions. It is yet to get into the mainstream eating habit of the Bengali.
Another potential threat to the traditional Bengali gastronomy is probably fast foods. Children and adolescents are especially enamoured of them. Burger, sandwich, hot dog, pizza, patties, chips etc have certainly a measure of popularity. Those who like junk foods also prefer carbonated drinks to 'sharbat' or fruit juice. But as the physicians always warn about the danger of such foods, these will never gain wide acceptance. The health conscious people will always keep them away.
Can anybody ever think that Bengali halua-rooti or shabji-rooti will be replaced by noodles or bread-butter? The latter foods have one advantage, that is, they are ready-made or take less time for preparation. But people
will be bored with them one time and resort to traditional breakfast, which may include tea and omelette among other things. Some people, especially in Old Dhaka, take bakharkhani in their breakfast. Old Dhaka food tradition also includes kabab, boti, tika, moglai and biriani. They do not squander any chance to prepare them on a special occasion.
On special occasions like Pahela Baishakh. most of the Bengali families cook fine rice, khichuri, fish curry, dry fish, vegetables and different kinds of bhorta. Big fishes are also found in the menu of many. Fish kopta and murighanta are popular dishes. Small fishes are usually neglected on this day however nutritious they may be. It is a big occasion, after all, so everything should be big! People arrange feasts in the hope that they would eat good the year round. They dream of happy days in the new ray of sun.
Different kinds of sweetmeat are also a common sight during Pahela Baishakh. Shandesh. rosh ma lai, rashgolla, chamcham, lalmohan, kalojam and amriti figure prominently in the menu. Dai and kheer are also found beside them. People eat sweet and talk sweet. Guests are served with them at home. Chira. muri and khai may be soaked in dai and taken to one's heart's content.
A special feature of Pahela Baishakh is Halkhata, when the shopkeepers open their new ledger. They start their foray into a new year with new calculations of business transactions. This is a special day for them. They forget mean profiteering and become hospitable in the day. If anybody buys anything from a shop he/she is given sweetmeat as greetings. In this day businessmen always put on a sweet smile on their face.
Music stirs Bengali mind just as their mind is enthused with the smell of delicious foods. They sing: "Legechhey Bangalir gharey gharey eki
maton dola ... Melai jayi re, melai jayi re”. Baishakh comes with fairs and funs through the tunes of flutes and beats of drum. Nimki, murki, batasha and nakul spread aroma in the air. In Baishakh people go to fairs en masse with their relatives and friends. They buy toys and other fancy goods for children. Baishakh celebration in Dhaka has its own character. People walk down to Ramna and listen to music. They eat panta and ilish on the occasion.
Elsewhere, the Hindu community bid farewell to a Bengali year through a festival called 'Chaitra Sankranti'. This is the day just before Pahela Baishakh. They eat all kinds of dishes, especially chhatu (powered corns), on the day. They also welcome the New Year with religious festivities. They arrange puja and pray to gods for a happy new year. They prepare special dishes for the inmates and guests.
Like the Hindu community, the Muslims also have a little distinct food tradition, centring on religious festivals. During Ramadan, they eat chhola, muri, piaju. beguni, halim, jilapi and khejur at the end of fasting. During Eid day, they love to take beef, cooked or fried, in various formations. They also prepare semai, payesh and other sweet dishes.
The Bengalis are widely quoted for their culinary variations. They love to eat. They love to crowd their dining tables with all kinds of food. They love most the traditional foods, which are closely associated with their culture. Wherever they are, they cannot think to live without them. Bengali eating practices are now spreading all over the world by virtue of sprawling diaspora. Bengali food distinction is on its way to conquer the world.
The writer is Assistant Professor and Head, Department of English, Daffodil International University. Email: binoy_barman@yahoo.com.