This presentation will help you with different dishes, festivals and equipment used for making Bengali cuisine. A short glimpse of the region and a lot more to absorb. You also will enjoy the festive images of various occasions. A lot of food photography has been put into this to make you understand each dish better.

1. West Bengal
(Cuisine)
Presentation by:
Bristi Bhattacharya

2. About
• Bengal is famous for its charm and gracious hospitality. Its densely
populated capital, Kolkata, is a metropolitan city with three major
genres, namely Bengalis, Marwaris, and Anglo Indians.
• The rule of the Mughal Empire on Bengal has given a rich gastronomy
to Bengali cuisine. This is commonly referred to as Bengali Muslim
cuisine.
• The presence of the British also gave rise to a cuisine commonly
known as Anglo Indian cuisine or also known as cuisines of the British
Raj.
• The commonly available snacks even on the street like an egg roll,
chop, or cutlet is reminisce of the cuisines of the Anglo Indians.

3. • Howrah bridge, The Sunderbans & Sunderban National Park, Victoria
memorial, Science city, ShantiNiketan are a few tourist attractions.
• Blessed with a fine tropical climate, Bengalis bear striking resemblances
to Keralites in matters of food, clothing, etc.
• Bengalis spend not only a great deal of time thinking about food but also
on its preparation and eating. The region has a wide range of ingredients
growing which makes the Bengali cuisine unique.
• The travelers described Bengal as the Land of rice, vegetables, sweets,
mutton and fish (both fresh and sea water). All these were used to create
delicacies with a pungent mustard flavour.
• Bengal got partitioned after British-raj as east (Bangladesh) and west
(west Bengal).
• The cooking varies in East and West Bengal. The adventurous East
Bengalis has more to offer in taste and variety, whereas their brothers in
the West, excel in preparation of sweets.

4. • West Bengal is on the eastern bottleneck of India, stretching from
the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south.
• West Bengal's climate varies from tropical savanna in the southern portions
to humid subtropical in the north.
• The main seasons are summer, the rainy season, a short autumn, and winter.
While the summer in the delta region is noted for excessive humidity, the
western highlands experience a dry summer like northern India, with the
highest daytime temperature ranging from 38 °C (100 °F) to 45 °C (113 °F).
• Monsoons bring rain to the whole state from June to September. Heavy
rainfall of above 250 centimeters (98 in) is observed in the Darjeeling,
Jalpaiguri and Cooch-Behar district.
• Winter (December–January) is mild over the plains with average minimum
temperatures of 15 °C (59 °F) with substantially low humidity level.
• The Darjeeling Himalayan Hill region experiences a harsh winter, with
occasional snowfall.

6. Salient Features
1. Fish: Inevitable part of meal. ‘Rohu’, ‘katla’ and ‘Hilsa’ are the main ones
used. Fish is cooked with utmost care and in abundant styles.
2. Rice is the staple food for Bengalis. Documented evidences state that
fifty varieties of rice were grown in Bengal. Two kinds of rice are most
commonly eaten here, namely parboiled rice and milled rice. Govind bhog,
rice milled from the short round parboiled Bengal grain is the staple food
generally consumed.
3. Sequences of taste senses are well observed. The procession of taste in
the meal runs from bitter in the start to sweet at finish.
4. To enhance the meal feeling they have the ‘Paan'.
5. Jalkhabar, is the term used to describe snacks of Bengal. The Bengali
cuisine is also rich in the preparation of savouries and snacks. Some
important ones are chire Bhaja, murir mora, Nimki, Shingara (samosa).

7. Salient Features (cont…)
6. Panch-phoren (Masala) provides the cuisine of Bengal its unique flavour.
Spices are used very delicately to give each dish its own blend. Unique spice
combination comprising of equal amount of the following five spices:
Radhuni (celery seed) If not available, black mustard can be used- Kalonji (onion
seed)-Fenugreek- Cumin- Fennel.
7. Spices: Herein lays the art and soul of Bengali cooking. Spices must not be
used with heavy hands. Bengalis believe that it is the way in which the spices
are ground that makes the food good or bad.
8. Bengali garam masala use only three spices i.e., cinnamon, cloves, and green
cardamom in equal quantities
9. Heavy influence of ‘rai’ or mustard.
10. Chutneys, especially the ones that are made with mangoes or tomatoes, are
frequently tempered with mustard seeds and are often eaten with popadums at
the end of a meal.

8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CjwVHGlXho

9. Festivals
• Durga puja
• Kali puja
• Saraswati Puja
• Poila Baishak
• Bhai Phonta
• Dol (Dol Yatra)
•Janmashtami

10. Durga Puja

11. • Durga Puja, also called Durgotsava, is believed
to be the greatest festival of the Bengali people.
• Durga Puja festival marks the battle of
goddess Durga with the shape-shifting, deceptive
and powerful buffalo demon Mahishasura, and her
emerging victorious.
• The traditional lunch during Durga Pooja will
start from rice with ghee, accompanied by Paanch
Bhaja then dal, ghonto, Maach, Tauk and end up
with mishti.

12. Kali Puja
• Falls on the day before Diwali.
• Maa Kali is worshipped at night
withTantric rites and mantras. She
is prescribed offerings of
red hibiscus flowers, animal blood in
a skull, sweets, rice and lentils, fish
and meat.
• It is prescribed that a worshipper
should meditate throughout the
night until dawn.The slaughtered
animal’s meat is cooked and eaten
as prasad.

13. Saraswati Puja
• Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of
knowledge, music, arts, wisdom and
learning.
• The season and festival also
reflects the agricultural fields
which are ripening with yellow
flowers of mustard crop, which
Hindus associate with Saraswati's
favorite color.
• People dress in yellow saris or
shirts or accessories, share yellow
colored snacks and sweets.
• Some add saffron to their rice
then eat yellow cooked rice as a
part of an elaborate feast.

14. Poila Baishak (Bengali New Year)
• Nabobarsho (Poila Baishakh) is a famous occasion for Bengalis. It is
the first day of the first month of Bengali year. Nabobarsho ushers a
new opening, a new anticipation, filled with delight, happiness and
wealth.
• To greet the New Year, Bengalis beautify their homes by drawing
attractive and colorful rangolis on the doorway with minced rice, which
is identified in Bengal as "Alpana".
• In the center of the drawing, a red clay pot with a white 'Swastika' is
placed. The pot is full with holy water and mango leaves and it is
identified as a blessed one by the Bengalis.
• Ladies wear conventional sari and decorate their hair with colourful
flowers and men wear dhoti kurta. They all participate in the
processions named 'Prabhat Pheri' early in the morning to welcome the
first day of the year.

15. • Bhai Phonta (Bhai dooj) is a traditional festival celebrated in all over
in West Bengal in every home with special dishes. It is celebrated on
the second day of Kali Puja.
• In this festival every sister prays for her brother's for long life and
every brothers promises their sister's to protect them from evils.
• In Hindu mythology, Yamuna, is the sister of Yama Raj (God of Death)
prays for her brother's welfare and applies "Phonta" on his forehead
with chanting a Sanskrit Mantra.
•A full meal including two or three fish preparations out of which one
will be with prawn is served and ends with Rasgolla and Misti Doi.

16. Dol (DolYatra)
• Dol (Holi) celebrations
start on the night
before Holi with a
Holika bonfire where
people gather, sing,
dance and party.
• The next morning is a
free-for-all carnival of
colors.
• Preparations for Dol:
 Jilipi
 Darbesh
 Jibe Goja
 Rosomalai
 Ghugni

17. Janmashtami
• Janmashtami, is an annual celebration
of the birth of the Hindu deity Krishna,
the eighth avatar of Vishnu.
• Celebrated on the eighth day
(Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (dark
fortnight) of the month of ‘Bhadra’
(August–September) in the Hindu
calendar, across the length and breadth
of India, by people following Hinduism.
• In fact, it is an important day for
Hindus. The celebration goes on for two
days. On the first day, the Ras Leela
(dance drama) is performed, which
depicts the important phases of Shri
Krishna's life.

18. (cont…)
Preparations for Janmashtami:
• Payesh
• Misti Makkhan
•Makhaner Singara
• Nimki
• Laddu
• Kalakand
• Rasgulla
• Naru
• Taler Bora
• Gokul Pitha

19. Special Equipments used
Bonth
i
Khunti
Sharashi
Ghutni

20. Special Equipments used
Hari
Jhanjri
Sil Nora

21. “Khai khai koro keno, esho bosho aharey
Khawar ajob khawa, Bhoj koy jaharey”

22. • Bhaja: Anything deep-fried with or without coating.
• Bhapa: This refers to the process of steaming. It is very common to see
fish being steamed encased in banana leaves. Even sweetened yoghurt is
steamed to create a delicacy known as bhapa doi.
• Bhorta: It is the same as the north Indian dish bharta made from brinjals.
In Bengal, the bharta could be made from boiled vegetables, pumpkins, and
even lentils and then tempered with spices and mustard oil.
• Bhuna: This is usually applied to meats and fish, where the items are
roasted with spices for a long duration of time.
• Dalna: This is a preparation of vegetables cooked in medium thick gravy,
seasoned with ground spices and garam masala. The dish is often served
garnished with a spoonful of melted ghee served on top of the vegetable
preparation.
• Ghanto: Various vegetables are finely chopped or grated and cooked
with paanch phoron and ground spices.
Typical Cooking Styles used in Bengali Cuisine

23. • Jhaal: It literally means chillies. Jhaal is usually made with fish, shrimp, or
crab, fried and then cooked in ground chilli paste and paanch phoron.
•Jhol: Jhol usually refers to gravy. So jhols are usually stewed preparations
often had with rice. These are seasoned with ground spices, onions, and
tomatoes.
• Kalia: It is a rich dish usually made during festive occasions. The base of
the gravy is made with ghee and a combination of oil, ground onion paste, and
garam masala. Kalia is usually made with big pieces of rohu fish or mutton.
• Tarkaari: This is more like a local word for curry. The word traditionally
comes from a Persian word (tarkaree)which means uncooked garden
vegetables.
• Kosha: Kosha usually refers to something that is dry-roasted with spices,
onions, garlic, and tomatoes. It is synonymous to bhuna gosht and is usually
applied to meats.

24. Signature Dishes
(Street Food)
Rolls
Cutlets

25. Chire Bhaja
Snacks (JalKhabar)
Nimkeen
Shingara
Kabiraji Cutlet

26. (Non-Vegetarian)
Chingri Malai Curry
Chitol
Macher
Muitha

29. (Vegetarian)
Doi baigun
Dhokar dalna

30. Potoler Dolma

31. (Others)
Bhoger Khichdi
Tauk

32. (Sweets)
Mishti Doi