We talk about the traditions of tok, jhal, jhol, ambol, chachari and chachra today, prepared with the help of traditional bothi, kuruni, hata, khunti, jhajri and of course our hadi, kodai and dekchi.
So yes this is not French, these are terms used in a day to day Bengali kitchen even today. Much of the names of items like tok (sour), jhal(hot), etc have a direct link to the taste of these.
Historically, caste has always been weaker in Bengal then in other regions of India. Across the state you will find the richest and the poorest having very much similar kind of food. A traditional Bengali lunch starts with sukto and ends with chutney and misti.
Calcutta was an extremely cosmopolitan city during the British Raj, with large communities of Jews, Armenians, Chinese, Anglo-Indians and many others. 350 years of British presence and Kolkata being the capital city, attracted people from all over the world. The Chinese, Tibetans and even people from other parts of India came and settled here. In the early 19th Century a westernized Bengali Babu class emerged who got exposure to European Education and lifestyle (clubs, parties) and were not adverse to exploring other cuisines. Hence we today talk about the influence of History of the cuisine of Bengal.
The Nawabs – Dhaka being the center of trade activities, during the Delhi Sultanate of Turkish origins, developed a certain Mughlai Khana with distinctive nawabi rich sauces and beef. Later the Nawab of Bengal under the Mughals moved to Murshidabad from Dhaka, and here too the food influence with richness of spices continued. Much later during Nawab Wajid Ali Khans exile in Metiabruj, came hundreds of kitchen staffs. Later on his death these specialist workers dissipated into the population, starting restaurants and food carts all over Bengal and propagating a distinctly Avadhi legacy into the western parts of Bengal, especially the burgeoning megacity of Kolkata. Avadhi food however was slightly different from the traditional Mughlai, with lighter spices and more use of aromas like keora jal.
The Europeans – Bengal had been under various European influence including the Portuguese and the British. Portuguese introduced lots of fruits and vegetables which were brought from other parts of the world. The Cashew plantations in the coastal areas to prevent soil erosion in just one of them. Apart from that there was also Ranga Alu, without which our sukto can,t do.
Then there was Jews who started off the famous Jewish bakeries in Kolkata, which still serve mouthwatering things in the New Market area. Cakes, Pastries became famous with the advent of Baghdadi Jews in the city.
Further to these were the chops and cutlets now a definitely Bengali snack borrowed from the English.
Even sweets in Bengal has huge European influence on it.
The Widows- Traditionally the Bengali widows were ill-treated and were left at the mercy of fate. The food that they ate was devoid of any “heating” elements like garlic and onion. Ginger however found place in the vegetarian cooking style of Bengal. So did a little sugar, ghee, and some spices. Milk Products & expensive nuts etc was also scarce. And what came out was far from basic and rudimentary. its deceptively simple preparations drew upon Bengal's vast larder of vegetable options and were often elaborate to the point of fussiness. Cooked with elaborate precision and served with equal refinement - multiple courses and an intricate formality about what goes with what and in which sequence - it formed an enduring base for a rich and varied cuisine. Leftover cuts in particular, such as spinach ends or vegetable peel, are transformed lovingly into magical preparations. The origin of Panta (rice cooked the day before, soaked in water served with green chilies and onions) and Muri (puffed rice) also came from the widows. However later muri became the local regional snack with huge popularity in form of Jhal Muri
Worth mentioning in this context is a subtle difference between Bengalis of India, "Bangal" and "Ghoti" are used as social sub-groups indicating the ancestral origin of a family. Families who migrated from East Bengal are Bangals and those whose families originated in West Bengal are Ghotis. The term 'Bangal' as used here has little relation to actual geography, since most members of these groups all now live in India. The term is used freely and not considered derogatory within this social class. There are many a differences found in the cultural events like the Bangals celebrate Lakshmi Puja on the fifth or sixth day of Durga Puja while the Ghotis celebrate it on the Kali Puja Day. Similarly in food the Bangals love Ilish and the Ghoti love Ching-ri (Prawns),
Hilsa is the national fish of Bangladesh, and extremely popular in West Bengal, Orissa, Tripura and Assam. It is a sea fish but it lay eggs in large rivers. After being born the young Ilish (known as Jatka) then swim back to the sea. They are caught before they swim to the sea. Ilish is also caught from the sea. However, those caught from the sea are not considered to be as tasty as those caught from the river. In India hilsa is found in the Rup Narayan, Ganga, Mahanadi and Chilka lakes. However Illish of Padma in Bangladesh in the most famous. Although this year there has been a lot of heartbreaks over low catch and high price of the Bengali favorite.
It’s said that Hilsa can be cooked in 108 distinct ways. Baked, Smoked, Fried, Steamed, cooked in a mustard gravy, with egg plants are just a few among the variety.
Today we make a Bengali signature Bhapa Illish
Method:
1. Grind the 100 g mustard seeds with the 2 green chillies.
2. Prepare a marinade of 2 tsp curd, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp chilli powder, mustard-chilli paste and salt. Marinate the fish in the marinade for half an hour.
3. Pour 2 tsp mustard oil over the fish. And some whole green chillies.
4. Steam the fish for about 15 minutes, till it is cooked.
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