New food-history series debuts at Kolkata’s Rosary Cathedral

The first edition of Eating with Bengal, a culinary-history series by Amar Khamar, was held at the Rosary Cathedral in Kolkata, focusing on the Portuguese influence on Bengali food traditions. The event brought together food, history and architecture through a curated dining experience and a series of talks.

Amar Khamar is a Kolkata-based social enterprise and food brand working to promote traditional, seasonal and biodiverse produce from Bengal. It also operates a farm-to-table lunchroom in the city centred on regional ingredients.

Conceptualised by Amar Khamar co-founder Sujoy Chatterjee, Eating with Bengal explores Bengal’s hybrid culinary identity shaped by centuries of cultural exchange. The series, he said, looks at food as “a reflection of history, language and cultural ethos”.

The inaugural edition featured conversations around a five-course menu tracing Portuguese–Bengali culinary integration. Historian Dr Jayanta Sengupta offered a keynote on the Portuguese presence in the Bengal delta, highlighting its “long social and cultural imprint”. Rosary Cathedral Rector Father Franklin Menezes spoke about the Cathedral’s past and its “continuing relevance” in Kolkata’s cultural life.

Built on land granted in 1690, the Rosary Cathedral is among Kolkata’s oldest churches and is often seen as a marker of early cultural confluences in the city. Future editions of Eating with Bengal are expected to travel across Kolkata and Bengal.