Are you planning to visit Kolkata, West Bengal, and want to learn about Bengali food? If so, this blog is just for you! Here, I will talk about traditional or staple dishes, street food, and Bengali sweets. Bengali food is a perfect example of a region’s history, culture, and geography. Bengali cuisine is famous for its sweet, spicy, tangy, and savory dishes.
Bengali dishes like Rice cake, known as Pithe (পিঠে), have a rich, artistic, and literary heritage. However, when we begin exploring Bengali sweets, Rasgulla is the most common one that opens the door to the entire range of unique Bengali delicacies. On the other hand, fish is a top choice. Fish head cooked with rice, known as Muri Ghonto (মুড়িঘণ্ট), is one of the most popular and authentic spicy one-pot meals.
However, as a foodie, I’ll give you a list of common foods in this blog that you can try when you visit India, West Bengal, or Bangladesh.
Table Of Contents
Understanding Bengali Food
Bengali cuisine is much more than just the food they eat. The foods are cooked in mustard oil, and each one depicts the history and culture of the people of Bengal. The region of West Bengal is home to several rivers, making fish an integral part of Bengali cuisine. Fish head, fried fish, or fish curry is the core of Bengali cuisine. Fish and steamed rice with ghee are a must in Bengali cooking. They are a staple in every Bengali household.
Ingredients In Traditional Bengali Cuisine
The type of Bengali ingredients used in Bengali cooking is the perfect epitome of the region’s endowment and creativity in food preparation. In the exquisite world of Bengali cuisine, mustard oil is the most popular choice, used for frying, cooking, and even dressing salads. It has a very pungent taste, which is unique but is used quite frequently in Bengali dishes. Panch phoron, the Bengali five-spice mix, is commonly used in a wide variety of vegetable and lentil preparations.
3 Types Of Bengali Foods
1. Staple Dishes/Traditional Bengali Dishes
Rice is the staple food of Bengalis and is typically accompanied by a variety of side dishes, with fish curry being the most common. Machh-bhaat—rice and fish—is a fundamental part of Bengali cuisine. Most fish dishes are cooked in mustard oil. Bengalis have a deep connection with fish, viewing it as a symbol of abundance. The fish is usually fried in mustard oil with a blend of spices, making it especially flavorful. Other common foods include lentils (dal) and vegetables, which are often prepared with minimal spices to highlight the natural taste of the ingredients.
2. Street Food
Bengali street food is a gastronomical delight with a lot of taste and a mouthfeel that can be quite tempting. Puchka, the Bengali version of pani puri, is a popular street food. Another famous street food is Jhalmuri, parathas with kebabs known as Kathi rolls. These foods are part and parcel of Bengali food habits.
3. Bengali Sweets
Bengali cuisine in West Bengal features distinctive sweets, which make Bengali desserts particularly special. Additionally, Bengali households prepare some unique sweets at home. One of the popular sweets is Rasgulla. But that’s not it! Rasgulla is just the tip of the iceberg for people with a sweet tooth. Sandesh is a very soft and delicate sweet prepared with chhena (cottage cheese) and sugar, which can be found in many forms and flavors.
Another Bengali sweet, Mishti Doi, is a thick, caramel-flavored yogurt. Another example of the Bengali people’s affection for sweets is Chomchom, a cylindrical sweet drenched in sugar syrup. These are not just post-meal sweet items but are an essential component of Bengali festivals and special occasions.
5 Popular Bengali Foods
1. Hilsa Fish In Mustard Sauce – Shorshe Ilish (সর্ষে ইলিশ)
Shorshe Ilish is a traditional Bengali dish that is mouthwatering and tempting. It is perhaps the most famous dish in Bengal, where hilsa fish is cooked in a mustard sauce. This dish is dedicated to the hilsa fish, one of the tastiest fish, prized for its tender and juicy meat. The preparation of the sauce involves grinding mustard seeds, green chilies, and mustard oil, which gives the dish a typical Bengali taste and flavor. Shorshe Ilish is best eaten with plain steamed rice so the taste of the fish and the mustard does not get masked.
2. Prawn Curry In Coconut Milk – Chingri Malai Curry (চিংড়ি মালাইকারি)
Chingri Malai Curry is one of the traditional Bengali dishes of a lifetime. It is cooked in Bengali households on most festive occasions. This delicious prawn curry is prepared with coconut milk and is considered a specialty dish during festivals and other celebrations. It is one of the Bengali delicacies. The prawns are stewed in a rich spice-infused coconut gravy with a slight sweetness, making the dish rich and warm.
3. Potatoes Cooked With Poppy Seeds – Aloo Posto (আলু পোস্তো)
Aloo Posto is a very basic preparation of potatoes and poppy seed paste. It is usually served as an accompaniment with rice and dal. In Bengali cuisine, this dish is a great example of how Bengalis can make simple food items taste exquisite. It is a spicy potato curry where poppy seed paste is crushed and then cooked with the potatoes. This method imparts a mild, nutty flavor and a coarse texture. Aloo Posto is a traditional Bengali dish that holds a special place in the hearts of many Bengalis. This dish brings back memories of home and family dinners.
4. Bhetki Fish Wrapped In Banana Leaves – Bhetki Paturi (ভেটকি পাতুরি)
Bhetki Paturi is a traditional Indian dish. It is cooked in mustard oil and flavorful spices. It is prepared with Bhetki fish marinated in mustard paste, enveloped in banana leaves, and cooked to tenderness. The paste, prepared with mustard seeds, green chilies, and mustard oil, gives the fish a hot and spicy touch, and the banana leaves give it an earthly flavor.
5. Fried Bread With Spicy Potato Curry – Luchi And Alur Dom (লুচি এবং আলুর দম)
Luchi and Alur Dom are traditional Bengali breakfast dishes cooked in mustard oil. They are typically prepared during festivals, with a thick curry of Alur Dom accompanying them. For lunch, Luchi is made with refined flour. It is soft and porous, balancing the heavy and piquant flavors of Alur Dom.
The potato curry is prepared using spices, tomatoes, and yogurt, which makes it sour and hot. Luchi and Alur Dom, which have thick curry, are the best combo. This dish is very close to the heart of the Bengalis, something that reminds them of their childhood and their families. This is one of the best traditional Bengali meals for all food lovers.
10 Common Traditional Bengali Dishes
Here, I’ll share ten must-try foods that you should experience at least once in your life. When you visit a Bengali restaurant, be sure to enjoy the unique Bengali sweets. The flavor of authentic Bengali recipes is exceptional, so give them a try!
How Do You Say ‘Bengali Food’ In Bengali?
In Bengali, Bengali food is referred to as Bangla Khabar (বাংলা খাবার) pronounced as Ban-gla Kha-bar.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bengali Food
Now, let’s look at some frequently asked questions about Bengali cuisine.
1. Why Are Bengali Sweets Different?
Bengali delicacies are synonymous with Bengali sweets, and Bengalis truly live to enjoy them. These sweets stand out because they use Indian cottage cheese (chhena), which gives them a uniquely soft and tender texture. The sweetness level in Bengali sweets is generally moderate, striking a fine balance that sets them apart from other Indian sweets
2. What Makes Bengali Fish Curry Distinct From Other Fish Curries In The Indian Subcontinent?
The preparation of Bengali dishes, such as fish curry, differs from other fish curries because of the inclusion of mustard oil and paste in the curry. Unlike other fish curries of India, which may contain many spices and coconut milk, Bengali fish curry is straightforward and intensely flavored, typically made with freshwater fish such as rohu, katla, and hilsa.
3. Is Bengali Cuisine Always Hot And Spicy?
Although there are many hot Bengali dishes, Bengali cuisine is not exclusive to hot and spicy foods; there are many dishes that are mild in taste. In Bengali cuisine, most dishes are a combination of sweet, tangy, and spicy, and even the hot dishes are tempered with some sourness.
Learn Bengali And Explore More Bengali Food!
The taste of Bengali cuisine is both rich and homely. Every dish tells a story about the land, its people, and its produce. It’s always good to try new things, even if you are already a Bengali cuisine enthusiast.
Interested in learning Bengali? Don’t worry—the Ling app is here to help you master the language like a pro. Just like its cuisine, Bengali is a sweet language.
