Jul 31, 2009 01:24 PM
11898 Views
(Updated Jul 31, 2009 01:28 PM)
Corrigendum:I am writing under this category as I couldn’t find a suitable category. Hope the readers excuse me for that.
*Introduction:
*Bengalis are well known foodies. The love of food lies in the endless possibilities that the soil and water of this region offers. The rich soil gives rise to an assortment of vegetables, herbs and vines while the waters are abound with the best fishes and finest crustaceans which beguile the taste buds of the people. Bengali cuisine mostly consists of various fish and meat preparations, each of which has a unique taste because of the use of myriad spices. The gastronomical delight that the cuisine of the land presents in form of its delicate mélange of flavors and the blend of the exotic with ordinary can be savored only by experience. A special spice named panch phoron(blend of five spices - mustard, fenugreek seed, cumin seed, aniseed, and black cumin seed) is the secret of many famous dishes.
Usually people think that Bengali cuisine means macher-jhol(fish curry) or rosogolla, but definitely there is a lot more to it. According to Rakhi Purnima Dasgupta, prominent food columnist, Bengali cuisine starts with something bitter and then move through pungent, hot and sour or sweet sour dishes to the final delight of a sweet. The courses progress broadly from lighter to richer and heavier and goes through various tastes and taste cleansers. Rice forms the base of any Bengali meal and is taken with the different veg and non-veg items throughout the meal.
*A bit on the genre of Bengali cuisine:
Two distinct style of cooking exists in the region - the *Ghoti(belonging to West Bengal) and the Bangal from erstwhile East Bengal now Bangladesh. There is a basic difference between the two – while the Bangal prefer hotter and spicier food, the Ghotis like the sweeter version of the same.
A special cutting tool:
Bengali cuisine is very particular about the way vegetables and meat are cut for each dish. And for this they use a special cutting instrument known as the – Bothi(Vili in Maharashtra, Kathi Peetha in AP). It is a long curved blade on a platform held down by foot; both hands are used to hold whatever is being cut and move it against the blade. The method gives excellent control over the cutting process, and can be used to cut anything from tiny shrimp to large pumpkins with ease. A knife rarely finds use in a Bengali kitchen.
*The art of eating:
*For Bengalis eating is almost an art in itself. The main plate(thala) is placed in the middle and is surrounded by an array of small metal bowls in which potions of dal, vegetable, meat, chutney and desert are served. A mound of piping hot rice is placed in the middle of the thala, flanked by vegetable fritters, wedges of lime, a green chili and a dash of pickle. A hole' is made in the middle of the rice mound and a spoonful of ghee is poured into it to add flavor to the food.
*The meal:
Beginning **– The meal starts with bitter preparation. Depending on the season of the year it can be kôrolla or uchhe(forms of bitter gourd) or tender neem leaves, deep fried in oil along with diced brinjal, or steamed with potato wedges. It’s served in very small potion like a spoonful to be had with rice.(This is considered to be both a palate-cleanser and of great medicinal value especially for pox prevention)
First Course** - Shukto, the culinary epitome of Bengali Cuisine is basically a bittersweet dish where instead of hiding the bitterness, it is the taste around which the preparation evolves. It consists of a medley of seasonal vegetables(bitter gourd, brinjal, potato, pumpkin, drumstick etc) sautéed in a rich ginger-mustard sauce topped off with ghee. It forms such an important part of the cuisine that a daughter-in-law’s ability as a cook is determined by the kind of Shukto she prepares.
Leafy vegetable -One of my personal favorites is any preparation of Shak(leafy vegetables like spinach, Kolmi, PalaK, methi etc). Unlike in the north where shak is only found in palak paneer or methi aloo, in bengal the preparations range from simply steaming it to a elaborate saker ghonto(a well-integrated mix of shak with either other veggies or fish head). Usually steamed shak is taken with kasundi – a strong paste of mustard sauce and raw mango pulp.
Dal, fritters and vegetables - Dal comprise of one of the main dishes in the meal. The main dals are masoor, mung, tur, arhar and Chola(chana). Sometimes dals are also prepared with diced veggies or fish head(matha diye dal).Generally dal is accompanied by a assortment of fritters. The most common fritters consist of aloo(potato), pumpkin, aubergine, pumpkin flower, bitter gourd, parwal deep fried in oil. Sometimes small fish fries are also taken as fritters. The deep fried savory balls or ‘bora’s made with besan or posto paste are also taken with the dal sometimes. The most relished boras are that made from fish eggs.
The main vegetable preparation consists of Labra, chorchori, ghonto, or chanchra. There is a specific method from preparing any of these preparations. Certain preparations however cannot be grouped under any of these and are generally known as ‘tarkari’ or vegetables. One of my favorite tarkari is ‘Poshto’, a Bengali specialty prepared with poppy seed paste and aloo, gourd or Cauliflower.
Fish -Bengali cuisine is synonymous with fish preparations. Fishes are marinated in spices and cooked with onion or mustard base and sometimes with a curd base. The delicacies include machher jhol, tel koi, pabda machher jhal, Doi machh, Chingri machh(shrimp) malai curry, chittal machher muitha and bhapa ilish(steamed hilsa).
Meat - **Khashi or mutton is considered to be delicacy in Bengal but since chicken is a cheaper alternative so it is more common in the households. Influence of other regions are sometimes noticed in the meat preparations. Doi-mangsho, mutton chap, jeera murgi, kosha mangsho etc are some of the main dishes.
Chutney, Tok or Ambal -The characteristics of this course is the tangy or sweet taste. The chutneys are considered to be a palate cleanser. They are usually made from mangoes(unripe), tomatoes, pineapple, dates, tamarind or amla. It is sometimes assorted with fruits or dry fruits.
Contd in comments.
