Cuisine of Bangladesh

The cuisine of Bangladesh has considerable regional variations.

A staple across the country however is rice and various kinds of lentil, which is locally known as dal (sometimes written as daal) & fish. As a large percentage of the land (over 80% on some occasions) can be under water, either intentionally because of farming practices or due to severe climatological, topographical or geographical conditions, not surprisingly fish features as the major source of protein in the Bangladeshi diet. There is also a saying which goes, "Mach-e-Bhat-e-Bangali" (Fish and rice make a Bengali)

Another integral part of Bangladeshi cuisine is beef, presence of which is a must in most of the feasts and banquets across the country, though consumption of beef is prohibited for minority Hindus. Regional feasts such as "Mezbaan" of Chittagong, "Ziafat" of Sylhet/Comilla or "Dawat" of Dhaka will remain incomplete without serving hot beef.

Regional cuisines

Bangladeshi cuisine is a generic terminology to refer to the cooking-style and trend now prevalent in Bangladesh. However, there are several regional variations, in terms of dishes, cooking style, serving style and nomenclature. In general, for cooking purposes, the administrative divisions more or less correspond to regional divides as well.

The main differences are as follows:

* South - Barisal Division, Chittagong Division and Khulna Division, being close to the sea, tend to have a larger use of sea fishes in their cuisines in addition to coconut milk. "Shutki", which is an especially treated dry fish, is extremely popular in these areas. Chittagong also exports "shutki".

* Dhaka - As a cosmopolitan city that has historically been the capital under Persio-Arabic rulers, Dhaka exhibits a great deal of Western influence in its cuisine. Dishes involving fried rice and a lot of meat are usually legacies of Dhaka's past as the capital of Bengali empires. Much of this is still visible in the old city, where dishes like biriani, Mughlai porota and bakorkhani are made by speciality stores, many of which have existed for over a century.

* West and North-west - The West and North-west have, until recently, been untouched by the fashions and trends in the capital, Dhaka. As a result, the high level of Persio-Arabic influence in the cuisine in and around Dhaka area is absent, or less pervasive, here. Vegetable curries heavily occupy the main eating in these areas. Also, spices are more commonly, and more heavily, used. River fishes (sweet water fishes) are common in the dishes.

* North-east - Large number of lakes around the Sylhet Division encourages greater use of lake fishes in the cuisine. Because of proximity to the hills in Assam, several fruits and pickles that are otherwise absent in rest of the country, such as satkorhai, are used in cooking and serving, producing a distinct nature to the dining menu here.

Staple ingredients and spices

The staples of Bangladeshi cuisine are rice, "atta" (a special type of whole wheat flour), and at least five dozen varieties of pulses, the most important of which are "chana" (bengal gram), "toor" (pigeon pea or red gram), "urad" (black gram), and "mung" (green gram). Pulses are used almost exclusively in the form of dal, except "chana", which is often cooked whole for breakfast and is processed into flour ("besan").

The most important spices in Bangladeshi cuisine are garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli. In sweet dishes, cardamom and cinnamon are amongst the natural flavours.

Regional specialties

*Aloo Bhaji occurs across the region.
*Luchi
*Shujeer Halwa a sweet from across the region.

Other famous Bangladeshi dishes

* Torkari
* Biryani

There are several styles of Bangladeshi bread, including Luchi, chapati and paratha

ome sweets and desserts

*Chômchôm
* Peetha - rice cakes, differ from region to region
* Kalo jaam
* Gulab jamun (Golap jaam)
* Rasgulla (Roshogolla)
* Pheerni
* Kheer
* Halwa Halua - there are different types of halua (semolina - shooji, carrot - gajor, almond - badam etc..)
* Jeelapi & Amirti
* Doi - sweetened homemade creamy yoghurt
* Shemai - vermicilli
* Shondesh - an extremely popular dessert associated with the Bengalis"'
* Chchana - also known as kaacha shondesh, is an unrefined form of shondesh
* Jorda - sweetened rice or vermicili, fried in ghee (clarified butter)
* Chchon papri
* Roshomalai - small roshogollas in a sweetened milk base
* khaja & Goja - fried sweets
* Borfi - there are different kinds of them
* Murobba - traditionally made with a type of melon (chaal kumrar murobba)

Bangladeshi food abroad

The United Kingdom has a particularly strong tradition of what the general population would term "Indian cuisine" which is in fact a misnomer as the restaurants in question are mainly created by people of Bangladeshi origin. In the second half of the 20th century there was a spurt in the development of so-called "Anglo-Indian cuisine", as families from countries such as Bangladesh (particularly from the Sylhet Division) migrated to London to look for work. Some of the earliest such restaurants were opened in Brick Lane in the East End of London, a place that is still famous for this type of cuisine and now renamed as Bangla Town, with even the street signs bilingual.

In the 1960s, a number of inauthentic "Indian" foods were developed by Bangladeshi chefs, including the widely popular "chicken tikka masala". This tendency has now been reversed, with subcontinental restaurants being more willing to serve authentic Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani food, and to show their regional variations.

Bangladeshi food is now a staple of the British National Cuisine.

See also

*Bengali cuisine - for information on the cuisine of Bengal as a whole, including West Bengal in India, as well as Bangladesh.
*Indian cuisine
*
*Cuisine
*Paan
*Panta bhat

External links

* [http://www.banglarecipes.com Bangla Recipes - Bengali and Indian Recipes]
* [http://www.food-india.com Overview of Indian food and some easy recipes]
* [http://www.khanapinaa.com The largest Bangladeshi recipe's Online]
* [http://www.khanakhazana.com Everything about Indian cuisine, recipes and more]
* [http://www.haryana-online.com/rohtak_rewri.htm Rewri & Gajjak]
* [http://foodsofindia.blogspot.com/2005/06/myth-of-indian-food.html The Myth of "Indian" Food]
* [http://www.cp-pc.ca/english/bangladesh/eating.html Eating the Bangladeshi way]