Bangladeshi cuisine facts for kids
Bangladeshi cuisine is the delicious food from Bangladesh. It has been shaped by the country's interesting history and its many rivers. Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon climate, which also affects its food.
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Eating the Bangladeshi Way: Bangaliketa
Bangladeshi people have special customs and rules when they eat. This includes being very welcoming to guests and serving food in certain ways. This tradition is called Bangaliketa (which means "Bengali etiquette").
Bangaliketa also covers how people invite others to weddings or dinner. Giving gifts on special occasions is also part of this culture. It even includes making sure serving dishes are presented nicely.
Cooking Styles and Influences
Bangladeshi food has been greatly influenced by the Mughlai cuisine. This style of cooking was brought by the Mughal rulers long ago. Because of them, Bangladeshi food includes many rich and flavorful dishes.
You'll find dishes like biriyani and korma. These foods use lots of different spices and a special kind of butter called ghee.
Dhaka was once a major capital city during the Mughal Empire. It was a big trading hub in South Asia. This meant many cooking styles from around the world came to Dhaka. When Dhaka became the capital of Bangladesh, its unique cuisine became popular everywhere. Many dishes with Persian, Turkish, and Arabic influences became favorites.
Popular Foods from Different Regions
Bangladesh has many unique dishes, with each region having its own specialties. Here are a few famous ones:
Sweet Treats
Balish Mishti (Pillow Sweet)
This dessert from Netrokona is called "pillow sweet" because it's shaped like a pillow and is very big! It has been around for almost 100 years.
Bograr Doi (Yogurt of Bogra)
The most famous type of sweet yogurt in Bangladesh comes from Bogra. People from Bogra are known for making the best Mishti Doi.
Comilla's Ras Malai
Ras malai is a sweet dish from the Indian subcontinent. It has soft, flattened balls of cheese (called chhana) soaked in creamy milk. This milk is flavored with cardamom. The Ras malai from Comilla, made by "Matree Bhandar," is known as the best and oldest in Bangladesh. It's a very popular sweet all over the country.
Muktagachar Monda
This traditional sweetmeat from Muktagachha, Mymensingh District, was first made in 1824. It is famous in Bangladesh and many other countries for its unique taste and flavor.
Natorer Kachagolla
Natore District is famous for its Kachagolla. Even though "golla" means "small ball," this sweet doesn't have a round shape like other sweets. It's made from pure cheese (chhena) and sugar.
Tangail's Chomchom
Chomchom is a traditional Bengali sweet that started in Porabari, Tangail. It's a very popular dessert in Bangladesh and India. This sweet is oval-shaped and brownish.
Main Dishes and Snacks
Chowk Bazaar Iftar
Chowk Bazaar in Old Dhaka was a famous business and meeting place during the Mughal period. During Ramadan, Chowk Bazaar is well-known for its Iftar items. Iftar is the meal eaten after sunset during Ramadan. They prepare almost 500 different types of Iftar foods, including Mughal-style dishes.
Chui Jhal Mangsho
This spicy dish comes from South Bengal. It uses a special plant called Piper chaba, known as Chui Jhal. People in areas like Khulna and Jessore District cut the stem and roots of this plant into small pieces. They then cook it with meat or fish, especially mutton. It's a bit expensive, and the roots are usually pricier because they have a stronger flavor. The taste is similar to horseradish.
Dhakai Bakarkhani
Bakarkhani is a thick, spiced flatbread. It's part of the Mughal cuisine. Dhakai Bakarkhani, from Old Dhaka, is famous for its quality and taste. People usually eat Bakarkhani with tea.
Haji Biriyani
Haji Biriyani is a famous biryani dish from Old Dhaka. It's made with highly seasoned rice and goat's meat. The recipe includes many ingredients like mustard oil, garlic, onion, black pepper, saffron, and different spices. It also has lemon, yogurt, peanuts, cream, and raisins. This special recipe has been passed down through generations.
Kala Bhuna
Beef Kala Bhuna is a very famous beef recipe in Bangladesh. It's special because of its unique spices. Beef shoulder pieces are cooked with traditional spices until they become dark and tender. Kala Bhuna and Mejbani Mangsho are signature dishes from the city of Chittagong.
Mejbani Mangsho
The Chittagong region is known for its spicy and hot curries, especially beef curries. Mejbani Gosht is very popular. The word Mezban means "host" in Persian. It now refers to a tradition of community feasting, which started in the Dhaka region.
Seven-Color Tea
Seven Color Tea is a well-known hot drink from Moulvibazar District. Romesh RamGour created this tea after finding out that different tea leaves have different densities. Each layer of the tea has a different color and taste, from sweet to spicy. This creates a beautiful pattern of dark and light bands throughout the drink, giving it its name.
Shatkora Beef
In Bangladesh, the thick skin of a fruit called Citrus macroptera, known as Shatkora, is eaten as a vegetable. It has a unique taste and smell. The thick rind is cut into small pieces and cooked with beef, mutton, or fish curries. Shatkora beef dishes are now served in many Bangladeshi restaurants, even in the UK. A Shatkora beef dish from Sylhet was even featured on a TV cooking show by British chef Rick Stein.
