West Bengal

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West Bengal - popularly also known as the land of Maach (fish) and Bhaat (rice). Bengali cuisine’s style of food preparation originated in Bengal region now divided between the Independent country of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. Various preparation of fresh water fish and a vast range of rice dishes are well known in the Bengali cuisine. Bengali cuisine is rich for its subtle spices and flavors.The essence of Bengali cooking is delicately balance between the main ingredients and its seasoning. The humblest of pulses gain an unforgettable identity because of the phoron or flavouring added at the end. The panch phoron most popular in Bengali cuisine includes cumin, nigella, fenugreek, aniseed and mustard seed. Sukto (a bitter preparation of bitter gourd, brinjal, sweet potato and plantain); ghonto (vegetables, with or without fish, cooked in milk); jhol; ambole (sweet and sour dish of fruit, vegetables or fish) and pitha (cakes of rice flour or sweet potato fried in syrup) are some of the delicacies that form part of this cuisine.Fish is the dominant kind of meat, and there are more than forty types of fresh water fish commonly used in Bengali cuisine. It includes the Nil (rohu), Katla, Magur (catfish), Chingri (prawn or shrimp), Shutki (dried sea fish), Ilish (hilsa). Almost every part of the fish (except fins and innards) is cooked and eaten, the head and other parts are usually used to flavor curries. Khashi (referred to as mutton in Indian English, the meat of sterilized goats) is the most popular red meat.Mustard oil is the medium of cooking these dishes. This is to give a distinct flavor in the dish. “Hilsa fish”, is the speciality of Kolkata which is steamed cooked delicately to retain its flavor and tenderness. Maccher jhol is also popularly known through out Kolkata and Bengalis take pride in its Luchi — a refined sophisticated form of puri.Bengali Meals :The typical Bengali fare includes a certain sequence of food 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 sometimes there are significant differences in a particular course between West Bengal and Bangladesh.At home, Bengalis typically eat without the use of dining utensils; kala (forks), chamoch (spoons), and chhuri (knives) are used in the preparation of food, but will almost certainly not be used to eat one own food, except in some urban areas. Most Bengalis eat with (heir right hand, mashing small portions of meat and vegetable dishes with rice and lentils into lokma. In rural areas, Bengalis traditionally eat on the ground with a large banana leaf serving as the plate or plates made from sal leaves sown together and dried.Mishti (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. Popularly known sweets include :Shondesh - Made from sweetened, finely ground fresh chhena (cheese), shondesh in all its variants is among the most popular Bengali sweets. The basic shondesh has been considerably enhanced by the many famous confectioners of Bengal, and now a few hundred different varieties exist, from the simple kachagolla to the complicated abar khabo. jdlbhora or indrani.Rosgolla — Rashagulla or roshogolla is one of the most widely consumed sweets. The basic version has many regional variations.Chum chom - Chomchom (especially from Porabari. Tangail District 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 roshogolla. It can also be preserved longer.Jhal-Murj - One of the most popular and iconic snack foods of Bengal, jhal literally means "hot" or "spicy". It is puffed rice with spices, vegetables and raw mustard oil. Depending on what is added, there are many kinds of jhal-murj but the most common is a bhorfa made of chopped onion, roasted ground cumin, black salt, chillies (either kacha "ripe" or shukna "dried"), mustard oil, and dhone pala (fresh coriander leaves).Moa - A moa is made by taking muri with qur (jaggery) as a binder and forming it into a ball. Another popular kind of moa is Joynagorer moa, a moa particularly made in Joynagor from a district of West-Bengal which uses khoa and a sugar-milk-spices mixture as binder.