Customer Reviews

Bengali Cooking: Seasons and Festivals

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bengal through the seasons comes to life on every page. The author's descriptions and anectodes of life growing up in Bengal and Bangladesh are a delight to read. I will say though, that unless someone has quite a lot of experience with Indian ingredients and techniques the recipes will be difficult, but this in no way changes the fact that this is a wonderful book to add to your collection.

I've been away from my homeland of Bengal for years and this book brings back so many memories of forgotten foods, the seasons, the festivals, the general Bengali lifestyle. It's the best "spur-of-the-moment" purchase I've made in a long time!

This is not a bad little book for those who enjoy reading about food and the cultural aspects of a cuisine. However, those who are simply looking for a Bengali cookbook will be disappointed. The book does contain recipes but there are not very many and they are interspersed amongst the textual material that makes up the bulk of the book. The format of the recipes are not what most people will expect, as they do not follow the standard, ingredient list followed by instructions format, but rather are the integrated style one finds in much older cookery books. I rather like that myself but most will not appreciate it. This is a nice book for what it is but it is not quite what one might expect from the title.

"Bengali Cooking: Seasons and Festival" by Chitrita Banerji (2007) could almost be taken as the classic/definitive document on Bengali cooking. It's not just cookbook written in the usual choppy style; it is a very readable and pleasant narrative document on Bengal's food, culture and civilization.

The book is well-written. It's the first ever English language book written on the culinary traditions of the vast South Asian region known as GREATER BENGAL which encompasses independent People's Republic of Bangladesh (East Bengal and a part of Assam) and the neighboring states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam.

I have always been looking for a refined text on Bengal's cuisine in the English language. But I have been disappointed because of the non-availability of cookbooks on Bengali cuisine in the English language, except recently published "Bangladeshi Curry Cookbook" by Food & Nutrition Professor Siddiqua Kabir (from Dhaka, Bangladesh) (but not available on Amazon).

However, Ms Banerji's book genuinely fulfils my need. Her narrative style and references to Bengal's folk-lore, mythology, literature and history, and insightful commentary make it all the more enjoyable to read. I've found it fun to use the recipes of some of the many dishes covered.

Also, those who have a serious sociological research interest in customs, traditions, culture and civilization of GREATER BENGAL and evolution of ethnic Bengali cuisine, will find it helpful. The book contains authentic information and could serve as a solid introduction to Bengali cuisine.

In my view, the book is an excellent document on Bengali cuisine focusing mainly on the following aspects:

(a) The common core of Bengali dishes keeping in mind the different dishes served at home or at festivals in Bengal's Hindu and Muslim communities.

(b) what the people of Bengal crave to eat and what constitutes delicacies among Bengali dishes, e.g., ilshe (Bengal's version of shad) dishes, machher jhol (hot fish stew/curry with thin gravy), koi dishes, etc.;

(c) spices in ethnic Bengali food: with a graphic description of how to measure their quantities and use for cooking a particular dish; for example, the author shows how Bengalis predominantly use internationally well known "PANCH PHORON" (Bengali five-spice) in fish, daal and fried vegetables (bhaji) dishes;

(d) Muslim meat dishes incorporating beef, lamb, chicken and duck (like kachchi biryani with goatmeat, plain polao, goatmeat rezala, qorma, kabab (handi kabab), etc.;

(e) what constitutes indegenous and what constitutes foreign vegetables in Bengal food;

(f) what people generally eat at various levels of the society (the peasant, the urban middle class, the Bengali elite, etc.;

I think Ms. Banerji (2007)has not missed even a single minor aspect of Bengali food. She even talks about how garlic and onion which were not part of the customary dishes were introduced into some Bengali dishes, and when and how Bengal's trade with Europe helped make some European vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, etc., a part of Bengali food, about which, I would say, most Bengalis are not aware!

Therefore, I would like to say that Chitrita Banerji's "Bengali Cooking..." isn't a just book of recipes of Bengali dishes. It is an excellent piece of sociological study on Bengali culture, customs and traditions related to food that could be used as a course textbook.

My reading of the book has helped me discover my own rich Bengali heritage and I've acquired formal professional knowledge of Bengali cooking.

The message that I derived from my reading of the book is: despite international impression (that "... there is no such thing as Bengali cuisine...." Bengali food is the same as what is known as Indian food.), she successfully argues that "Bengali cuisine," is ethnic, far more refined and esthetic, and stands out very distinctly. Throughout the book, Chitrita Banerji has sought to make this point poignantly and presented some of the finest recipes of dishes craved/cherished by Bengali food lovers.

After all, The "Sylhetis" in the UK are Bengali people and have been very successful in their commercial restaurant business.

I've her noticed some flaws in her research; she has not cited any sources in the way that sociological research demands.

Though the book and the recipes presented are classic, a busy housewife, I think, might not find it so handy to use (because the style is narrative). I agree with one of the reviewers who had difficulty using the book in cooking Bengali dishes because it's not a handy cook book for the busy Western housewife and the "Bengali food terms" don't have their English translation making it difficult for a non-Bengali user. I can see the problem it can pose to a Western reader who isn't familiar with the terminology in Bengali.

Therefore, for the next edition of the title, I would like to suggest that the author/publisher include a comprehensive bare-bones recipe section in a list format (rather than narrative prose)and English translation of Bengali words/names for each food item and dish.

Second, in the next edition, I suggest her to provide sources cited in the text and at the end of chapter (with corresponding citation numbers), and a bibliography.

Finally, I would like to draw the author's attention to spelling errors, especially, on page 14 (Dhaka, not Dhakar).

Once these few points are taken care of, I would like to call this book a classic document on Bengali cooking.

M. Solaiman Ali, Ph.D.
Faculty of Engineering
King Abdulaziz University
Jeddah

This book exudes a feeling of home. The author takes you on a journey through her memories of Bengal life. Her smiles shine from the page when she gets a chance, for example, to describe her grandmother's unique touches on these recipes.

This is far from a traditional cookbook. Sure, you'll find recipes. But not before you learn about the season, the festival, a bit about her family, and what crops are available at that time of year.

While she makes the attempt to offer a window both into Hindu and Muslim world, the book flows more natural when she's discussing her own Hindu past. She is careful to describe "East Bengal" (Bangladesh) Muslim traditions as well, but sometimes it feels like it's just dropped in for completeness.

I'll have to allow that this is not the easiest recipe book you'll find. Sometimes the recipes leave a bit of room for interpretation.

That doesn't take away from the wonder of this book. It's a celebration of life in the Bengal states. The traditions. The family. And, oh yes, the food.

Wow! i never expected to feel like I was back in my old kitchen in Calcutta but I was, the detail in the book is impeccable. This book was definitlely a journey into a bengali kitchen, and has inspired me to cook bengali food the old fashioned way again.

This is an excellent cook book. Let me say I came across this book because the authors happens to have translated the famous Feluda (Satyajit Ray) into English that I was delighted to read on my own when my grandma was weary of reading out the original bengali versions for me. Also, I am slightly biased because the author was my mom's classmate from high school. But that apart the book is a fabulous read for a prabashi bengali (one that lived outside Bengal) who cannot read a word of bangla. The recipes are very authentic especially since my dad hails for East Bengal. I have tried the lau chingri, patishapta, kachi biryani and rezala. Each has turned out excellent and exactly as I remember them growing up.

Some of the criticism of this book from others is the layout, that it is not in a traditional cook book format. I agree, but that was not what the author was trying to achieve. It is actually a great read but I would say it would mostly interest a Bengali or someone with ties to Bengal. Also, I have used the index a lot, the only recommendation to the author would be if she used the index to refer to which page the actual recipe was documented.

I think this book is very creative and I love the cultural context in which the recipes are presented. It's rare to find such a book. Many of the recipes are things I grew up eating. It's amazing to find them listed in a book.

My only complaint is that I found a mistake, inadvertently, which leads me to wonder what other inaccuracies exist in the book. My father's small hometown (district) was mentioned in the book, but described completely incorrectly in terms of its location. This is nitpicking, I know, but I would think that a native of Bengal would know the geography of his or her state. Furthermore, if the regional differences are in fact relevant in terms of cuisine, then in fact, this error is significant.

Overall, a creative book.

I really enjoyed this book. It is not entirely a cookbook. Basically the author talks about the seasons in Bangladesh, personal experiences during those seasons, festivals/holidays that occur during those seasons and popular recipes for people in West Bengal and Bangladesh. It is great if you want to learn more about the peoples and the country.
The recipes seem to be authentic. It is not tailored for Americans though. We're used to having our recipes list the ingredients then how to make it. But these recipes are in narrative form. I still did not have much of a problem making some of the recipes. I started with the simpler ones. But, I enjoy making real foreign food and not catering to the American ingredients/time schedule/palate.
I would definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in making Bengali food.

This book was written beautifully with complete descriptions of not only the food, but also the mood and context around it.

This book is not a traditional cookbook with pictures. The recipes are written in a narrative, rather than in a procedural format, and this substantially adds to the charm of the text.

To a displaced Bengali, longing for lost traditional recipes, this is a perfect answer.