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There's more to Bengali sweets than the proven rosogulla and mishti doi.
The first major Indian festival of the year arrives in mid-January, one which is celebrated across the country with much zest. It goes by many names as you move from north to south and west to east – Lohri for Punjabis, Pongal for Tamilians, Uttarayan in Gujarat, and Poush Sankranti for Bengalis.
Despite these names, at heart lies a unanimous cause of celebration. Sankranti marks the end of cold winter and welcomes the much-awaited harvest season, filled with the golden warmth of the sun.
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There are vibrant and jovial customs which mark the arrival of Sankranti at the doorstep of Indian households. Here, I'd like to paint you a picture of a typical Sankranti in the land of exquisite literature and heartwarming cuisine. Kolkata has charmed travellers, businessmen, and travellers worldwide for decades with its vibrant and eclectic culture. But the city's biggest draw has been its culinary heritage. As I had imagined, this experience was elevated to the next level at a festival Bengalis hold so dear. The city opened special pathways for me to know her more intimately.
On the occasion of Poush Sankranti, households in Bengal engage in a string of rituals and pujas. Families come together to worship the Goddess Lakshmi in a vibrant Baharlaxmi Puja, paint rangolis with rice flour, and decorate their houses with mango leaves and rice stalks to celebrate the harvest season. The aroma of date palm syrup and loose cottage cheese enveloped every household I passed. Various traditional Bengali sweets were being prepared with rice flour, milk, khejurer gur, and a host of other delicious ingredients.
Sankranti in Kolkata gives you a divine opportunity to explore the city’s treasured dessert scene. If you find yourself in the city of joy in January, you are in for an exquisite culinary delight. I was fortunate to have landed in the winding old streets of Kolkata on a touch-and-go affair during this time, and the culinary experience has stayed with me ever since.
My earlier indulgences in Bengali sweetmeats were limited to the juicy rosogulla or a cup of decadent mishti doi. But as I meandered through the bylanes of Kolkata, stopping to try the traditional fare at some of the oldest sweet shops, I got to sample umpteen sugary delicacies I hadn't heard of earlier.
Pithe puli is a lesser-known dessert popular around Sankranti in Bengal. Pithe is a thin pancake made from rice or wheat flour, sometimes filled with sweet or savoury ingredients, and puli is a variation of the same dish. Locals typically use freshly harvested paddy and date palm syrup in the preparation, giving the dish its festive significance.
Every Indian state, city, and household has its recipe for rice puddings. Growing up, we have been treated to a hearty bowl of kheer before an important event such as an exam, interview, or a religious occasion. Kolkata’s version of this much-loved pudding is called payesh. It is prepared using milk and broken rice or vermicelli and is often topped with fried cashews for an added flavour. Payesh can be enjoyed chilled or warm. It is the perfect dessert for a lazy Sunday afternoon, post a heavy Bengali meal right before your senses give in to the siesta.
As I hopped from one sweet shop to another, I was introduced to varieties of Rosogulla. Some served them golden as Raj Bhog, while others offered a vibrant plate of pink, Sugary (vanilla) Cottage Cheese Dumplings. A variation that is a big hit at Bengali weddings and buffets is the Baked Rosogulla, prepared with premade Rosogullas, Condensed Milk, Khoya, Saffron, Rose Water, Pistachios and Sugar. Have them steaming hot for that added sugar rush.
Make sure you head to Ganguram and Sons near Everest House. I was treated to a scrumptious plate of their renowned Kamala Bhog here. It's an ingenious recipe that blends the goodness of oranges with the conventional Rosogulla.
Have you ever wondered why so many Bengali sweets are white? As I learned, most of them are prepared with chhana – a loose version of cottage cheese introduced to Bengal by the Portuguese. Today, you can try many desserts that have evolved from the humble chhana, invented and reinvented by Bengali sweet masters over time.
Pantua is a sweet made from chhana, semolina, and flour, which closely resembles the popular gulab jamun. The ingredients are rolled together, fried, and dipped in sweet syrup. Rasmalai is another chhana dish loved by folks across the country, with its heavenly concoction of sugar, milk, saffron, and chhana. Chhenar Jilipi is Kolkata’s take on the spiral jalebi. Made from chhana, khoya and flour, it's best served hot as it melts in your mouth.
Nikuti is another delectable chhana dessert you absolutely must try. The cheese is mixed with flour and cardamom, rolled, and deep-fried. These fried balls are then soaked in a sugary syrup. The sugar-soaked balls are further chilled in condensed milk as a final step.
Shor Bhaja was a dessert that took me by surprise. Little known outside the Bengali community, it is a dessert made from milk cream deep-fried to perfection. If you wish to go for a healthier version of this dish, you can try Sarpuria. In this version, layers of cream are baked and soaked in a sweet syrup resulting in a smooth, milky dessert.
Delicate chunks of fresh cottage cheese come together with sugar, jaggery, or dates to form the simple and sinful sondesh. It is a dessert celebrated by Bengalis and non-Bengalis alike and comes in a variety of flavours and colours. The full array of the sondesh, however, can be best sampled in Kolkata’s oldest sweet shops with a range of interesting flavours including, chocolate, paan, elaichi, and more.
I remember chancing upon Sen Mahasay on Sibdas Bhaduri street one sultry afternoon. The shop has been serving delicious sweetmeats since 1897. I treated my tastebuds to their melt-in-your-mouth sondesh, the taste of which still lingers in the memory.
Most Bengali families in Kolkata are likely to offer house guests Kheer Kadam as an unsaid tradition. This delicacy is another heavenly combination of khoya, milk, sugar, and cardamom. The sweet surprises you with its double-layered core, one of khoya and the other of chhana. At Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick, I had the pleasure of trying chaler dudh. The first bite of this humble rice pudding recipe sparked a nostalgic joy in my heart, as I could not help but look back into my childhood, where Sundays were often served with a side of mumma's homemade kheer.
The list of luscious, sweet, and spongy Bengali sweets on offer in Kolkata is endless. While I hope you can try as many of these as possible, I am also excited for you to chart your journey through the labyrinth of Kolkata’s sweet metaverse.
As for me, I cannot wait to go back to the city, hopefully during the festivities around Durga Pujo. The first thing on my agenda will be to head straight to a tiny old sweet shop, gorge on Bengali sweets, and call it lunch!
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