Vorlage:Cuisine Bengali cuisine is a style of food preparation that originated in Bengal, a region in the northeast of South Asia which is now divided between the independent country of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.
Regional influences
Bengali food is difficult to characterize because of the large number of influences, both foreign and Indian, that have borne upon it. Originally a mixed Hindu and tribal society, it was strongly influenced by Islam (it is now home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the world). The Portuguese visited the port, the French established a colony, the British made it the eastern capital of the Empire while Dutch and Irish missionaries launched their missions and schools from Bengal. Marwai and Gujarati traders made it their home, Afghans visited frequently with their spices and moneylending, the Chinese came to escape the mainland. The prosperity of Bengal made it attractive to Syrians, Jews and Armenians too. All these influences blended together, both in the countryside and in the urban centres of Kolkata, Dhaka and others. These migrations happened over a period of many centuries, but the partition of India seperated West Bengal from the present-day Bangladesh, causing a significant change in demographics and isolating Bangladesh and its food from the influence of Kolkata, whose size and prosperity has always exerted a huge influence on food habits. This city was, in population, almost a third of the whole state; the food of Kolkata thus became the food of West Bengal while on the other side of the border Bangladesh continued to develop a more distinct cuisine.
Bengal has some broad (though not so distinct) cuisines - Traditional, Muslim, Anglo-Indian and Chinese.
Traditional Bengali cuisine
The traditional society of Bengal has always been heavily agrarian; hunting, except by some local tribals, is uncommon. The rearing of animals is also not popular. This is reflected in the cuisine, which relies on staples like rice and dal, with little place for game or meat. Traditional cuisine is deeply influenced by Hindu widows who often lived under strict dietary restrictions and contributed to many of the practices; in particular vegetarian dishes often do not use any onion or garlic, both of which were considered foods that arouse the passions.
Fish is the dominant kind of meat, cultivated in ponds and fished with nets in the fresh-water rivers of the Ganges delta. More than forty types of mostly freshwater fish are common, including rui (rohu), catla, magur (catfish), chingri (prawn, shrimp or scampi), as well as shutki (dried sea fish). Almost every part of the fish (except fins and innards) is eaten; the head and other spare parts usually used to flavor curries. Mutton, from kid goat, is the most popular red meat.
Other characteristic ingredients of traditional Bengali food include rice, masur dal (broken red lentils), moong dal (broken mung beans), mustard oil, mustard paste, posto ([poppyseed]]) and coconut. Bengal is also the land of mangoes, which are used extensively ripe unripe or in pickles. Hilsa, which migrates upstream to breed similar to salmon, is a delicacy; the varied salt content at different stages of the journey is of particular interest to the connoisseur, as is which river (the fish the river Padma is traditionally considered the best). The Panch Phoron spice mixture is very commonly used for vegetables. A touch of gorom moshla ( cardamom, cinnamon, clove, bayleaves, and peppercorn) is often used to enliven food.
Another characteristic of Bengali food is the use of a unique cutting instrument, the bothi. It is a long curving blade on a platform that's 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, and can be used to cut anything from tiny shrimp to large pumpkins. Traditional cuisine is very demanding in the kinds of cuts of vegetable used in each dish, and using the wrong one is frowned upon. Further, different vegetables are usually cooked together; the wrong cuts can lead to some vegetables remaining raw or becoming overcooked.
In East Bengal, now Bangladesh, the cuisine developed relatively isolated from influences of the rest of India and South East Asia by the difficult geography of the Ganges delta. Three characteristics stand out - fresh-water fish, the extensive use of parboiled rice and mustard oil as the medium of cooking. Dal is also a staple. Spices are sparingly used, and the methods of preparation are relatively simple - steaming, frying or stews. Floods are common in the region, so there's extensive use of root vegetables and dried fish (shukti). Milk and dairy products, so widely used in the rest of India, are not common here; the geography prevents large scale breeding of cows making dairy an expensive indulgence. Notably, hardly any food calls for curd or ghee. Sweets mostly use jaggery and rice paste.
In western parts of Bengal, more connected with the rest of India and dominated by the megacity of Kolkata since the late eighteenth century, a separate cuisine emerged. The delta is thinner there, with fewer rivers and more open plains. There is significant commerce with the rest of India, leading to a flow of spices, ingredients and techniques. The food is much richer, the presentations more elaborate and a significant feature of the cuisine is a vast array of sweets based on milk and sugar - the result both of better supply and the influence of traders from the milk belts of Gujarat and Benares. While fresh-water fish is still common, mutton is seen more often and dried fish is nearly unknown. Wheat makes its appearance alongside rice, in loochis, kochuris and porotas. Though mustard paste is extensively used, mustard oil is abandoned in favor of groundnut oil or refined oil. There's a greater use of coconut, both in cooking and in desserts.
Prosperity and urbanization also led to the widespread use of professional cooks who introduced complex spice mixtures and more elaborate sauces, along with techniques such as roasting or braising. Also introduced around this time, probably as a consequence of increasing urbanization, was a whole new class of snack foods most popularly with evening tea. The tea-time ritual was probably inspired by the British, but the snacks bear the stamp of the substantial Marwari population in Kolkata - chaats, kachoris, samosas, phuluri and the ever-popular jhal-muri.
Mughal influence
The influence of the Islam started in the mid sixteenth century, and spread with the appointment of Nawabs to administer Murshidabad and Dacca. It was a top-down influence, and more gradual than in many other parts of India. This led to a unique cuisine where even the common man ate the dishes of the royal court, such as biryanis and bhunas. The influence was re-inforced in the Raj era, when Kolkata became the place of refuge for many prominent exlied Nawabs, specially the family of Tipu Sultan from Hyderabad and Wajid Ali Shah, the ousted Nawab of Awadh. The exiles brought with them hundreds of cooks and masalchis (spice mixers), who spread into the local population as royal patronage and wealth diminished. These highly accomplished cooks came with the knowledge of a very large variety of spices (most notably saffron and mace) the extensive use of ghee as a method of cooking, and special ways of marinating meats.
This has remained, more than the other categories, the food of professional chefs; the best examples are still available at restaurants. Specialities include chaap (ribs slow cooked on a tawa), rezala (meat in a thin yogurt and cardamom gravy) and the famous kathi roll (kebabs in a wrap). The local population absorbed some of the ingredients and techniques into their daily food, resulting in beef or meat-based varieties of many traditional vegetarian dishes, but by and large the foods remained distinct.
The partition of India resulted in a large migration of people to and from present-day Bangladesh, resulting in a much stronger divide along religious lines. The food followed the people, so that Bangladesh today shows a much greater Mughal influence than West Bengal.
Anglo-Indian or Raj cuisine
Anglo-Indian food isn't purely the influence of the British, though they are the dominant one. Bengal had a French colony, and also Portuguese, Dutch, Armenian and Syrian populations. These collective western influences are seen in the cooking created to satisfy the tastes of the western rulers. The result is a unique cuisine, local ingredients adapted to French and Italian cooking techniques, characterized by creamy sauces, the restrained use of spices and new techniques such as baking. English and Jewish bakers such as Flury's and Nahoum's dominated the confectionery industry which migrated from British tables to everyday Bengali ones, resulting in unique creations such as the patties (savory turnovers). Another enduring contribution to Bengali cuisine is pau roti, or bread. Raj-era cuisine lives on especially in the variety of finger foods popularized in the pucca clubs of Calcutta, such as mutton chop, kabiraji cutlet or fish orly.
Chinese food
The Chinese originally settled into a village called Achipur south of Calcutta in the late eighteeth century, later moving into the city and finally into its present home in Tangra at the eastern edge of Calcutta. Even now, the Chinese form a substantial and successful population; the only foreign settlers to retain a distinct identity. With this identity came Chinese food, available at almost every street corner in Calcutta. They were mostly Cantonese tradesmen and sailors, bringing with them aji-no-moto and sweet corn. The cuisine is characterized as much by what is missing - mushrooms, for instance, are not found in Bengal - as by what is there, such as a far greater use of pork than any of the other cuisines. As the Chinese opened restaurants for Bengalis, they spiced up the bland Cantonese sauces with sliced chillies and hot sauces, creating unique dishes such as Chilly Chicken and Veg Manchurian. The influence of this unique cuisine cannot be overstated; its what all of India knows as Chinese food.
Courses in a meal
The typical Bengali fare includes a certain sequence of food - somewhat like the courses of Western dining. Two sequences are commonly followed, one for ceremonial dinners such as a wedding and the day-to-day sequence. Both sequences have regional variations, and there are sometimes significant differences in a particular course between West Bengal and Bangladesh.
The elaborate dining habits of Bengalis are a reflection of the attention the Bengali housewife paid to the kitchen. In the modern times, this is rarely followed by most families. Courses are frequently skipped or combined in everyday meals, but large family occassions still call for the full sequence.
Courses in a daily meal
The foods of a daily meal are usually simpler, geared to balanced nutrition and makes extensive use of vegetables. The courses progress broadly from lighter to richer and heavier. Rice remains common through out the meal until the chutney course.
The starting course is a bitter. The bitter changes with the season but common ones are karela (bitter gourd) which is available nearly throughout the year, or tender neem leaves in spring. Bitters are mostly deep fried in oil, or steamed with cubed potatoes. Portions are usually very small - a spoonful or so to be had with rice - and this course is considered to be both a palate-cleanser and of great medicinal value.
Another bittersweet preparation usually eaten in summer, especially in West Bengal, is a soupy mixture of vegetables in a ginger-mustard sauce, called shukto. This usually follows the dry bitters, but sometimes replaces it, and is eaten in much bigger portions. Shukto is a complex dish, a fine balance of many different kinds of tastes and textures and is often a critical measure of a Bengali housewife's abilities in the kitchen. However, this is not popular in Bangladesh.
This is followed by shaak (leafy vegetables) such as spinach, fenugreek, or amaranth. The shaak can be steamed or cooked in oil with other vegetables such as begun (aubergine). Steamed shaak is sometimes accompanied by a sharp mustard paste called Kasundi.
The dal course is usually the most substantial course, eaten with a generous portion of rice and a number of accompaniments. In Bangladesh, dal is usually eaten at the end of the meal, while in West Bengal it is eaten somewhat before the meat courses.
A common accompaniment to dal is bhaja (fritters). Bhaja literally means deep-fried; most vegetables are good candidates but aubergine or pumpkin or plain potatoes are common. Fish (mach bhaja) is also common, specially rui (rohu) and ilish (hilsa) fishes. Bhaja is sometimes coated in a besan or flour and posto (poppyseed) batter. A close cousin of bhaja is bora or deep-fried savoury balls usually made from posto (poppyseed) paste or coconut mince.
Another accompaniment is a vegetable preparation usually made of multiple vegetables stewed slowly together without any added water. Labra, Chorchori, Ghonto, or Chanchra are all types of preparations, differing only in minor details. There also are a host of other preparations that do not come under any of these categories and are simply called Torkari - the word merely means vegetable in Bengali. Sometimes, these preparations may have spare pieces of fish such as bits of the head or gills.
The next course is the fish course. Common fish delicacies include maacher jhol, tel koi, Pabda maacher jhaal, Doi maachh, Chingri maachh (shrimp) malai curry, and bhaapa ilish (hilsa).
Then comes the meat course. Mutton is traditionally the meat of choice but chicken and eggs are also commonly consumed. Beef is popular in Bangladesh, but not in most parts of West Bengal. Pork is rare except among the Anglo-Indians and the Chinese.
Finally comes the chutney course, which is typically tangy and sweet; the chutney is usually made of mangoes, tomatoes, pineapple, tamarind, raw papaya, or just a combination of fruits and dry fruits. Papads, a type of thin flaky flat bread, usually accompany the chutneys.
Sweets
Sweets occupy an important place in the diet of Bengalis and at their social ceremonies. It is an ancient custom among Hindus to distribute sweets during festivities. The confectionary industry has flourished because of its close relation with social and religious ceremonies. Competition and changing tastes have helped to create many new sweets, and today this industry has grown within the country as well as all over the world.
The sweets of Bengal are generally made of sweetened cottage cheese (chhenna), Khoa (reduced solidified milk), or flours of different cereals and pulses. some important of the sweets of Bengal are :
Rasogolla (meaning cheese ball in sugar syrup) was first made by Haradhan Maira, a confectioner of Phulia district, during the time of Bengal renaissance. These white cottage cheese balls in sugar syrup not only created a revolution in the confectionary industry and but also set the trend for the main sweets of today. Nabinchandra Roy of Bagbazar, Kolkata, was the first person to make 'sponge' rasogolla in 1868.
Chamcham (often referred to as "Porabari" in Bangladesh) goes back about 150 years. The modern version of this sweet was inspired by Raja Ramgore of Balia district in Uttar Pradesh in India. It was then further modernised by his grandson, Matilal Gore. This oval-shaped sweet is reddish brown in colour and it is of a denser texture than the rasagolla. It can also be preserved longer. Granules of mawa or dried milk can also be sprinkled over chamcham.
Several varieties of yoghurts such as misti doi, custurds, and rice pudding (kheer) are also popular in both Bangladesh and West Bengal.
Sandesh, chhanar jilepi, kalo jam, darbesh, raghobshai, payesh, nalengurer sandesh, shor bhaja and an innumerable variety are just a few examples of sweets in Bengali cuisine.