Page 270 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

268  EASTERN INDIA

The Flavours of Eastern India

This region, watered by the rivers of the Gangetic Delta and
washed by the sea, is a land of plenty, with an abundance of
fresh vegetables, coconut and fish. Rice is the staple food and
the region produces a wide variety. Freshwater fish is popular all
across this riverine land. Pork and beef are eaten in most of the
Northeastern states, while in Sikkim, the food is largely Tibetan
with bamboo shoots and steamed dishes featuring on the menu.
This region, with its large tea estates in the Himalayan foothills, is
also the home of India’s finest teas, especially from Darjeeling. A variety of spices
Fish and Seafood
Odisha’s signature dish and is
a combina tion of vegetables It is fish that brings out the
and arhar dal (red gram). genius of cooking in this
Vegetables, such as potatoes region. Every part is eaten –
and aubergines (eggplant), the head makes a delicious
are fried (bhaja), mashed curry (muri ghonto) and the
(bharta) and lightly or heavily roe an excellent cocktail snack
spiced as in dalna, made with (macher dimer bora). Popular
peas and cauliflower. Classic fish of the region are rohu (carp),
dishes include shukto (mixed bhetki (Asian sea bass) and the
vegetables with bitter gourd) much-loved hilsa or ilish fish
and mochar ghonto, made which floods the rivers during
from the banana flower. the monsoon. Hilsa is cooked
Bay leaves, chillies and other spices on
sale at a weekly market Kheer Peraki Peda Jalebi Chumchum Mango sandesh Sandesh
Basic Dishes Kalakand
In the delta and coastal areas
of Bengal and Odisha, paanch
phoron (five spices) – mustard,
aniseed, fenugreek, cumin
and onion seeds – are used to
flavour the food while mustard
oil is the preferred cooking fat.
The two cuisines are similar,
except that the Bengalis pride
themselves on having a more
sophisticated palate. Dalma is A small selection of the many varieties of sweets from Bengal

Local Dishes and Specialities
This region’s cuisine is varied. Historically, Calcutta (now
Kolkata) has been a melting pot and the traditional
Bangla ranna, which combines the Bengali fish-
based, delicately spiced food, the Muslim
mutton dishes and the many-layered Dhakai
paratha, was enriched by the flavours of its
Jewish, Armenian, Indo-Portuguese and
English settlers. Fish is the centrepiece of both
Tomato chutney
the Bengali and Oriya meal, and can be cooked
with vegetables, as in besar maacch. Often, dried
prawns are added to vegetables to enchance the flavour. Rice, a dal
(lentils), vegetable preparations, sweet and sour chutneys, green chillies
and slices of lime accompany the meal. In the Northeast, pork is a
favourite. It is cooked with bamboo shoots, wild mushrooms or with Momos, Tibetan dumplings,
ground rice and herbs in a one-pot dish called onla. In the plains of are eaten with a fiery sauce of
Assam, the food resembles Bengali cuisine, with fish predominant at dried red chillies and a bowl
every meal. Fish tenga, fried fish with lentils, is a favourite. of chicken broth.

268-269_EW_India.indd 268 26/04/17 11:53 am