Get a taste of Puja, head for stalls

NEW DELHI: The Anando Mela marks the beginning of all the fun and excitement that revolves around Durga Puja. Being a food festival, housewives prepare authentic Bengali delicacies at home which they then sell at nominal rates in different stalls at the pandals. While most pujas will hold the mela on Sunday, welcoming the goddess on Mahashashti, there were a few which put up the stalls a day ahead on Saturday.
"The enthusiasm among women in the community is remarkable. There is a huge turnout for this fair. It's such an essential part of the festival, that we actually look forward to eat the delicious food at the pandals. During these four days, most Bengalis, like me, don't cook at home and enjoy eating here with family and friends,'' says Debashish Saha, head of the organising committee at Matri Mandir, Safdarjung Enclave.
Most puja samitis also give out prizes for the best stall at their pandals. "We've organised for around 100 stalls. Of these, we will award the best one considering the presentation, hygiene and of course, the recipe and preparation,'' says Anjan Mukherjee, convenor of Durgotsav at Shiv Mandir, CR Park. The stalls offer some lip-smacking snacks and sweets Ghugni, narkol nadu, pithey, paatisapta, luchi-chhola, taal gurer payesh. And for those who crave for spicy food, the stalls also have vegetarian and non-vegetarian items Mughlai paratha, fish curry, chicken curry, biryani, egg roll the list is endless. Besides, there are North-Indian preparations also on offer.
Ajoy Ashirwad, an ex-JNU student now working in the media industry, who is eager to attend the Anando Mela, feels there is dearth of food outlets offering Bengali cuisine. "I'm from Asansol and here, in the north, there are very few eating places where one can get Bengali food, even though we have chains of restaurants serving south Indian dishes.'' He further goes on to say, "Our cuisine is elaborate. It does not come under the fast-food culture. For these kind of preparations you need to have fine-dining and proper restaurants which is what the city lacks.''
Kajal Biswas, manager of Oh! Calcutta, one of the few restaurants in the city which serve traditional Bengali cuisine, says: "The very flavour of Bengali food, which has its base in mustard oil, is different. This is why the people take longer to develop a taste for it. However, our customer base has seen an increase over the last couple of years and is growing by around 10% every month. Today, 60% of our clientele comprises non-Bengalis of the city.''
According to Gauri Shankar, manager of Bijoli Grill, another Bengali food-joint, the food costs more when compared to south Indian preparations. Shankar says: "We get fish flown-in from Kolkata, since fish is the main item in our meal. Bengali food is slightly more expensive that way. But 2005 onwards, we have witnessed a rise in popularity. The number of visitors have been increasing by over 20% every year.''
Consciousness among people regarding the food they consume has gone up in the last few years and some cite this as a significant reason why the demand for Bengali food is going up. "Even the doctors are highlighting the protein value of fish. And today, an increasing number of people are moving away from other non-vegetarian options,'' explains Anjan Mukherjee.
However, Mukherjee admits the supply is not in correspondence to the high demand. He adds, "It could be because the community has not really taken up the task of promoting the cuisine with as much vigour as the people from other parts of the country have. We need better entrepreneurship skills to expand the Bengali food culture in the north.''
But, for those who wish to relish and even explore the rich Bengali cuisine, now is the best time. A visit to the Anando Mela is all you need.