Gourmet goes festive!

Sreemoyee Piu Kundu / TNN / Oct 5, 2008, 05:34 IST

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Thakurbari bhoj, local street fare, fusion food - Bengali food witnesses an ethnic revival.

Thakurbari bhoj, local street fare, fusion food - Bengali food witnesses an ethnic revival.
Thakurbari bhoj, local street fare, fusion food - Bengali food witnesses an ethnic revival.
Thakurbari bhoj, local street fare, fusion food - Bengali food witnesses an ethnic revival.
The October sun muses mellow, the drums echoing against its fragrant skyline, pandals stand tall housing the sacred divinities - the auspicious spirits are invoked. It��s time to soak in the revelry of the most opulent festival in the Bengali almanac - Durga Puja. Puja festivities aren��t so much about following scriptural sanctities, as they��re about rejoicing in the extravagant cravings of the soul.

No surprises then that the five-day-long jubilations extol in the pleasures of food, fun and finery. ��The commencing of pujas unleashes the glutton in the Bengali who goes all out to explore myriad culinary pastures. ��Eating out�� forms an integral part of our cultural canvas,�� holds restaurateur Anjan Chatterjee. Chatterjee, who owns specialty restaurant Oh! Calcutta, draws attention to the changing palette of the discerning Bong foodie. ��He��s moved beyond the usual Chinese-Mughlai-Continental fare, experimenting with more delectable ethnic fodder. Bengalis now recognise the explosive power of their own cultural cuisine. Be it the subtle flavours of Thakurbari cooking or lip-smacking, street food like Kabiraji Cutlet or Mughlai Parantha - there��s a Renaissance in the realm of indigenous Bengali cuisine,�� he adds.

Tradition, however, still holds fort. Barun Mallick, scion of the Posta-based Mallick family, whose household puja celebrates its 155th year, informs, ��Heritage demands that puja cuisine is completely vegetarian, comprising largely of bhog (prasad) that��s handed out to devotees, daily.��
Yet, with the passage of time, culinary innovations abound in the dietary dictionary. Food consultant Subhankar Dhar, ex partner of the popular Bengali eatery 6, Ballygunje Place (Kolkata and Bangalore) says, ��Thakurbari food is resonating back. Known for its refined food habits - from Oriental lunches, Continental dinners to the best French chefs in their kitchen, this family fare revels in items, like Golda Chingrir Cheeni Kabab (jumbo prawn thermidor) and Kakra Chingrir Pathuri (marinated crab meat and prawn wrapped in banana leaf and roasted) are menu musts.��
Even the quintessential vegetarian fare bears the imprint of a glorious past. ��Thakurbari cuisine comprises the best of West Bengal��s food tradition - mildly flavoured with a soft texture,�� adds Chatterjee, pointing out to all-time favourites, like Dhuni Kichdi, Potol Pathuri and Mochar Govindobhog.
The natural goodness of Bengali food is also blending ceremoniously with occidental traditions. Debashish Saha, senior sous chef, Park Hotel, Kolkata adds, ��Fusion food is the latest fad. From Prawn Biryani, Baked Firangi Cauliflower (with Continental, white sauce stuffing), Crumb-fried Gulab jamun served with vanilla ice-cream to Meehedana Tiramisu, it��s tradition with a twist.��
��You can��t imagine pujas without the robust trail of food odours emanating from the holy ground,�� claims restaurateur Dhiren Mitter, whose plush South Kolkata eatery, K��s - The Eating Place, is being decked up for the culinary carnival. As food worshippers stream into his den - Chatterjee aptly concludes, ��Durga pujas are a ��peth (stomach) pujo�� above anything else!��

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