Of Bengalis and Mustards...

I am one blog old and have already had some useful and strong sense drilled into my head by my friends whom I invited to read it. I should say that the strongest one came again from Sincy in form of a one liner “Why just history of Bengali food?” At this point I feel compelled to defend my self – being a Bengali I cannot let go that famous pride of ‘Amra Bangali” (We the Bengalis) that most of us bask in. Hence, the feeling megalomania sets in once in a while that assures us that everything from Rabindra sangeet to History of Bengali food (to think of it, I hated history in school!!!) is worth enlightening the whole world about. But a few raps on the head and the megalomania fades to give way to better senses…

Now getting into Bengali food from History of it I think the most common question that my friends pose in context of bengali food is regarding mustard seed and paste. It is impossible to think of bengali food without thinking of mustard, especially the famous Shorshe Mach (Fish in mustard sauce). The dish itself has quite a few varieties and each is a delicacy in itself. Coming back to mustard, there are three types of mustard seeds–

White mustard: these seeds provide the mildest flavor.

Brown mustard: these seeds are more pungent than white

Black mustard: black seeds have a very strong and distinctive flavor

Mustard is used in many forms and in a whole lot of recipes. The whole Mustard seeds are used for tempering, to add flavor to the oil. The Mustard paste is very popular in mostly Bengali or east Indian cooking. Mustard Oil is also an important part of Bengali Cooking and traditional Bengali Cooking mostly used Mustard Oil as the cooking medium. There is also a spicy, tangy variety of table mustard called 'Kasundi' that is used as a sauce.

For the sorshe mach, I use a mixture of black and yellow mustard, they kind of balance each other out. About equal parts of each. Grind mustard to a paste with green chillis and salt, this prevents the mustard paste from turning bitter. Though my mother swears by the traditional Shil-nora (mortar and pestle), I am quite happy with my humble mixer and grinder. The problem is that one cannot grind small quantities of mustard in that mean machine. The easier option is to grind about a cup of mustard, with one tbsp of salt and about 6 green chilles, use the amount required and store the rest in an air tight container in the freezer. The paste stays put for about two-three weeks.

Now that we have the mustard paste out of the way, may be I can gather courage to proceed to some recipes using this paste...

History of Bengali Cuisine

Though I have been a well known food junkie and a neighbourhood culinary expert for a lot of my friends, the idea of starting a food blog was given to me by my friend Sincy, so the first post is for her.

A distinct culinary tradition emerged in Bengal based on the availability of local ingredients. The abundance of rice and vegetables became the corner stones of the diet. Mangoes, bananas, coconuts, and cane sugar grew in abundance; fish, milk, and meat were plentiful; yogurt and spices such as ginger and black mustard would season the dishes.

Even though fish and meat were generally popular, there was a predisposition to vegitarianism, based on religious principles, that has continued to the present. Strict vegetarians also omit onion and garlic from their diet, preferring to substitute a garlicky-flavored spice called asafoetida. The taboo against the consumption of fish and meat became even stronger with the flowering of religions such as Jainism and Buddhism. But with the decline of Buddhism in the ensuing centuries, fish and meat returned to the menu.

Rice, the staple of Bengalis since ancient times, has remained untouched by the currents of religious change and its preparation has held to a continuing high standard. One crop a year was sufficient to sustain the people, providing ample leisure time for the Bengalis to pursue cultural ideals: folklore, music, and the culinary arts.

The 16th-century Mongol kings left their mark on the cooking of Northern India, which to this day is known as moghlai cooking. With the introduction of Islam, Bengali Moslems adopted dishes such as kababs, koftas and biriyani from their Moghul conquerors. But the major portion of Bengali Hindu cuisine retained its original characteristics except that the use of onion and garlic became more popular.

The European traders introduced food from the New World - potatoes, chillies, and tomatoes. Bengalis incorporated them into their diet, combining them with a variety of native ingredients creating new dishes. Then as now, Bengali cooking is mostly confined to the home. Dishes are carefully prepared according to recipes handed down through generations. Modern Bengalis have become culinary innovators. They search for, and experiment with, foreign culinary ideas, incorporating such new food items as noodles, soy bean and custard into an increasingly cosmopolitan bill of fare. But in their hearts, they still delight in such traditional dishes as maacher jhol and rosogolla.