Aquintessential ingredient of the Bengali persona is the love for food.Food not only happens to be a medium of carving inroads into the heartbut also happens to be an expression of asserting superiority withregard to its origin. The West and the East Bengali always maintainedtheir identity in terms of accent, music and culinary habits. This isan attempt to present the relative difference in their respectivegastronomical preferences. Well, let us consider a regular multi-course Bengali meal. It begins with shukto,a starter done with the season’s assortment of vegetables combined withbitter gourd. The Bengali kitchen of the western side or the ghoti would cook it with bit of milk and temper it with powdered roasted panchphoron. This starter is considered as an essentially vegetarian dish by them while the eastern side or the bangal would like to add small fishes like pona, puti, mourala, bele or chingri along with the bitter-gourd. Then follows the bhaja muger dal, the bangal would season it sliced fried onion while the ghoti would temper it with a pinch of asafetida and ghee. The mix vegetables called chochori or ghonto with season’s vegetables with a share of soaked Bengal grams is a ghoti dish. It tastes sweet and flavoured with roasted cumin powder. The bangal would add small fishes or fish-head bones and the flavour is more hot and spicy, a mix vegetable is called a labra. The concept of curry is known as dalna in the ghotikitchen. It can be made with diced potatoes in combination with anything from pumpkin or wax-gourd, jackfruit or green bananas. Thesedishes are characterised with gravy that is thickened with either curdor milk and tempered with ghee and garam masala. The taste would bemild with a hint of sweetness. The bangal would cook these vegetables cut into smaller pieces, without gravy, sugar, and ghee or garam masala. Then coming to the fish dishes, the ghoti would cook the smaller variety like mourala, parshe, pabda, or bata mostly with mustard paste or a combination of mustard and poppy seed paste, the dish known as jhal. The bangal would prepare them with tamarind paste served at the end of the meal. Fishes like rohu or katla are prepared with ginger, garlic and onion paste with potatoes known as kalia in the ghoti style while the bangal wouldhave it cooked in a thinner gravy which is generally more runnytempered with a paste of cumin seeds and have vegetables like brinjalor wax-gourd or cauliflower added with potatoes, known as <!-- D(["mb","\u003ci\u003e‘jhol’\u003c/i\u003e.\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin:0in 0in 0pt\"\u003e\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"4\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c/span\u003eComing on to the concept of ‘\u003ci\u003ekofta\u003c/i\u003e’ where vegetables, fish or meat is minced, made into balls with mashed potatoes, fried and then dropped into spicy gravy. The ‘bangal’ would make this only with ‘c\u003ci\u003ehitol\u003c/i\u003e’ fish – ‘\u003ci\u003echitol maccher muithya’\u003c/i\u003e.\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin:0in 0in 0pt\"\u003e\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"4\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c/span\u003eChicken was accepted late in both the kitchens and the difference in style was - the ‘bangal’ gave less importance to marinating with curd, lime-juice or grated papaya and always had lots of gravy in their meat preparations using red chilli powder while the ‘ghoti’ had less gravy, used only green chillies and occasionally added black pepper powder.\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin:0in 0in 0pt\"\u003e\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"4\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c/span\u003eThe ‘bangal’ experimented and specialized in various rice dishes right from \u003ci\u003e‘pulao’\u003c/i\u003e or ‘\u003ci\u003ebiriyani\u003c/i\u003e’ with vegetables, fish or meat. The art of ‘\u003ci\u003edum\u003c/i\u003e’ cooking was mastered by them. The ‘ghoti’ on the other hand were more of wheat lovers. They made ‘\u003ci\u003ekachuri’\u003c/i\u003e with a variety of fillings right from veg to non-veg. they took great care in the kneading of the flour like using warm water, a pinch of salt or sugar and also sometimes powdered spices for flavour. \u003c/font\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin:0in 0in 0pt\"\u003e\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"4\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c/span\u003eFinally coming to the sweet-meat\n section, the endless variety of ‘\u003ci\u003epithe-puli’\u003c/i\u003e are signature ‘bangal’ dishes. The ‘ghoti’ made excellent ‘\u003ci\u003epayesh\u003c/i\u003e’ and ‘\u003ci\u003ekalakand\u003c/i\u003e’. A puritan ‘ghoti’ ‘\u003ci\u003epayesh\u003c/i\u003e’ would have a pinch of salt added to it. \u003c/font\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin:0in 0in 0pt\"\u003e\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"4\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c/span\u003eIn conclusion it can be observed that the food from the ‘bangal’ kitchen ignited and played with the taste-buds and the ‘ghoti’ cooking emphasized more on soothing the palate with its flavours. The ‘bangal’ is hugely experimental with non-veg dishes and would never use sugar in curries. Well, when a puritan belonging to either school cites differences in style it is a never ending call. Today majority of the Bengali kitchen is\n characterized by a style of cuisine which is not rigid but convenient on effort and time involving method and ingredients that suit to our mood more than anything else. The result is, well, nothing less than a delectable ‘Bengali’ stuff.",1] );
//--> jhol. Coming on to the concept of kofta where vegetables, fish or meat is minced, made into balls with mashed potatoes, fried and then dropped into spicy gravy. The bangal chitol machcher muithya is one of the most delectable example of this variety. Chicken was accepted late in both the kitchens and the difference in style was - the bangal gaveless importance to marinating with curd, lime-juice or grated papayaand always had lots of gravy in their meat preparations using redchilli powder while the ghoti had less gravy, used only green chillies and occasionally added black pepper powder. The bangal experimented and specialised in various rice dishes right from pulao or biriyani with vegetables, fish or meat. The art of dum cooking was mastered by them. The ghoti on the other hand were more of wheat lovers. They made kachuriswith a variety of fillings right from vegetarian to non- vegetarian.They took great care in the kneading of the flour like using warmwater, a pinch of salt or sugar and also sometimes powdered spices forflavour. Finally coming to the sweetmeat section, the endless varieties of pithe-puli are signature bangal dishes. The ghoti made excellent payesh and kalakand. A puritan ghoti payesh would have a pinch of salt added to it. In conclusion it can be observed that the food from the bangal kitchen ignited and played with the taste buds and the ghoti cooking emphasised more on soothing the palate with its flavours. The bangal ishugely experimental with non-veg dishes and would never use sugar incurries. Well, when a puritan belonging to either school citesdifferences in style it is a never-ending call. Today majority of theBengali kitchen is characterised by a style of cuisine, which is notrigid but convenient on effort and time involving method andingredients that suit to our mood more than anything else. The resultis, well, nothing less than a delectable ‘Bengali’ stuff. Group Moderator for [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Connect your World with Us join Now - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dimpill_gang/join Affiliated group from dimpill_gang for Only Adult Mails - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fantazies/join Affiliated group from dimpill_gang for Only Health and Food Mails - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Health_and_Gourmet/join Unlimited freedom, unlimited storage. Get it now, on http://help.yahoo.com/l/in/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/tools/tools-08.html/
