It’s Durga Puja in Kolkata and we can’t stop gorging

It’s Durga Puja and we can’t keep calm. The streets are full of cheering crowd, who are dressed in their best, marching ahead to the pandals of their choice. In fact, the fragrance of shefali or shiuli flower that fills up the air during these five days of puja will linger with you even when the festive season gets over.

Pandals, crowds, and bhogs (food offering to the Goddess) are some of the specialities of Durga Puja, which every puja lover is aware of. And if we are taking about Kolkata Durga Puja, then the scene becomes a bit more interesting. Bengalis are foodies and they take pride in that. And if you want to taste some of their traditional or favourite street food, Durga Puja is the best time to do so.
The food scene in Kolkata during Durga Puja is so effervescent that one just cannot stop experimenting. So along with pandal hopping, the other thing for which Kolkata is best known for is the traditional dishes that Bengalis prepare during this puja time.

Here are some of our favourite dishes that you must definitely taste if you are in attendance to Kolkata Durga Puja.

Luchi ar aloor dom/ luchi and mangsho
Almost all pandals will be having it in their stalls. Plump, little puris made with refined flour, can be eaten with either with aloor dum (curry made of potato) or kosha mangsho (mutton dish). Honestly, this is one of our favourite dishes, so we can have it any day. And during Durga Puja, it is our sweet excuse and very normal to have it just like performing the morning ritual.
Phuchka
Bengalis can have it every day. But, during puja, we have phuchka like a mandatory thing. In Delhi, you call it golgappa, which takes s unique flavour and name in Kolkata, i.e., puchka. Here, you get hollow, crisp balls of fried dough, filled with chichpeas and spiced potatoes, and then dipped into a tangy tamarind water, which makes for one mouth-watering morsel.

Ghugni
This is again one of the most favourite street foods of Bengal. You will find street-side stalls selling ghugni with green chillies, chopped onions, coriander leaves, and a bit of lime juice. It is a savoury dish prepared from curried peas, further garnished with the above ingredients.

Dimer devil
The Bengali Deviled Eggs are more or less like the aloo chops, but it is a snack that most of our heart craves during this special occasion. It got its name ‘devil’ as it is spruced up with savoury condiments and aromatic spices. This spicy treat that has boiled egg and spices in its resume is severed up after being deep fried.

Kathi rolls
This is available almost everywhere nowadays, but Kolkata specialises in preparing it by giving it its twist. The way the flaky parantha is fried and filled with meat kababs spices, chopped and green chillies, sautéed onions, that when you take the first bite, you know you are going to enjoy the entire trail.
Mishti Pulao
Mishti pulao of Kolkata is one dish that you should definitely try without any second thought. Typically, prepared with small grained rice, added to it a dash of sugar and raisins to bring out that sweetened taste, and spiced up with saffron, cardamom etc., this is an absolute treat during puja. You can have it with either mangsho or paneer curry.

Fish cutlet
This is the most obvious treat to give it to yourself. Vegetable and finely chopped fish are mixed, shaped into small discs, which is then deep fried. You can have it along with kasundi (a variety of mustard sauce), which the Bengalis swear by.

These are the stars in the menu when you check out the pandal stalls and other street-side vendors, apart from these you should even try these very popular traditional Kolkata dishes, such as biryani, chowmein, aloo posto, bhapa iilish, mochar chap, kolar bora, and muri ghonto.