Sylheti cuisine facts for kids
Sylheti cuisine is the special food culture from the Sylhet region in Bangladesh. It has many different tastes, from tangy sour dishes made with a fruit called Hatkora to super spicy ones like chicken tikka masala. You can also find sweet treats like Tusha Shinni and savory snacks like Nunor Bora. There's even a unique fermented fish dish called Hutki Shira.
The Hatkora fruit is very common in Sylhet. People use it to cook various dishes with fish and meat. Hatkora curry is full of Vitamin C and good for you. It tastes best when eaten with rice. Even though Sylhetis mostly eat rice and fish, their cooking style is quite different from other parts of Bangladesh.
Many different groups of people have lived in the Sylhet region over time. These groups, like the Khasi and Kuki tribes, have all added their own flavors to Sylheti food. When 360 followers of Shah Jalal came to Sylhet a long time ago, they brought new cooking styles. These included many meat dishes like chicken, beef, and goat, cooked in Mughlai, Middle-Eastern, and North Indian ways. Dishes like Mughlai Porota, Pilau, Korma, Biriyani, and Kofta became popular. For desserts, they introduced treats like Zardah and Firni.
In the 1940s, some people from Sylhet started restaurants in London. They introduced curry and rice to the menu. Today, more than 8 out of 10 Indian restaurants in the United Kingdom are owned by people from Bangladesh. About 95% of these owners come from Sylhet! Chefs from Sylhet helped create the British curry we know today. Chicken tikka masala, which was invented by Sylhetis, has even been called Britain's National dish since 2001.
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Rice Dishes
Most people in Bangladesh eat boiled rice. But in Sylhet, people prefer "Ala Bhat," which is a type of sticky, delicious rice. It's their main food. Sylhetis also like to use glutinous rice to make special treats.
Research has shown that Sylheti rice has less arsenic than rice from other parts of Bangladesh. It also has more important nutrients like selenium and zinc. Some types of Sylheti aromatic rice are even cleaner than famous Basmati rice from India and Pakistan.
Akhni
Akhni is a tasty mixed rice dish. It's made with ghee (a type of butter), meat, and vegetables. It's sometimes called Akhni Birani or Akhni Fulaw because it's similar to biryani or polao. Akhni is a popular dish during the month of Ramadan and for special parties.
Biroin Bhat
Biroin Bhat is a type of glutinous rice that is very popular in Sylhet. There's a special red-and-white sticky Biroin Rice found only in this region. This aromatic rice is often eaten with fried fish, meat, or kebab. It also goes well with sweet dishes like khirshah rasmalai and date molasses. Biroin Chal is a natural rice grown in the highlands of Sylhet. It's the main ingredient for Chunga Pitha, a traditional rice cake.
Kisuri
Soft Kisuri or just Kisuri is a rice-based meal that looks a bit like porridge. It's a traditional food in Sylheti cooking. During the holy month of Ramadan, many families serve Kisuri for their evening meal called iftar. To make Kisuri, aromatic rice is mixed with spices, ghee, and fenugreek. There are two kinds: white soft khichuri (jau/zau) and yellow soft khichuri (kisuri).
Meat Dishes
Sylhetis love curries made with fresh and dried chilies, roots, and spices.
Beef Hatkora
Beef Hatkora is a curry made with beef and Hatkora, a special citrus fruit. It's a very famous dish during the Eid-ul-Adha festival. The way Sylhetis cook Hatkora is unique. It has a special taste and aroma that makes it different from other Bangladeshi cuisine. This fruit is often used in Sylheti curries. People also make a sour curry with cow feet bones and Hatkora, or use it with other kinds of meat.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken tikka masala is made with chicken tikka, which are boneless pieces of chicken marinated in spices and yogurt. The chicken is cooked in a creamy, orange-colored sauce. Many people believe that Bangladeshi chefs created this dish in the 1960s. Chicken tikka masala is now served in restaurants all over the world.
Aash Bash
Aash Bash is a curry made with duck and bamboo shoot. It's not as common everywhere, but it's a traditional and tasty dish in Sylhet. People eat Aash Bash curry with rice or Tandoor bread. It's usually not too spicy.
Phall
Phall is a very hot curry that started in British Bangladeshi-owned curry-houses in the UK. It's even hotter than vindaloo! This dish is a thick, tomato-based curry. It can also include ginger and fennel seeds.
Fish Dishes
Sylheti cuisine has many different fish curries. Fish is eaten both in curries and fried. Dried and fermented fish, called Hutki, and Hatkora are often used for cooking curries. Sometimes, the extremely hot Naga Morich chili is used in broths. Popular local dishes include Hidol, a fermented fish chutney, and Hutki Shira, a dried fish curry. Many locals believe that the super spicy Hidol Chutney can help with colds and headaches.
Hutki Shira
Hutki Shira is a fermented fish curry. It's made with vegetables, leafy greens, and fish or prawns. This curry is cooked without oil or fat. The vegetables used depend on what's in season. Traditionally, a type of dried fish called hidol is used to make this curry.
Thoikor Tenga
Thoikor Tenga is a very popular sour curry dish in Sylhet. Thoikor is a citrus fruit, similar to Hatkora, and it's available almost all year in the Sylhet region. This dish is usually cooked with small fish.
Delicacies and Savory Snacks
Bakarkhani
Sylhety Bakarkhani is quite different from the one found in Dhaka. Dhaka's Bakarkhani is more like a cookie, but Sylheti Bakarkhani looks a lot like a porota (a flatbread). Bakarkhani is a popular item for Iftar during Ramadan. It's also eaten with tea at night. Sylheti Bakharkhani can be savory or slightly sweet, soft or crispy.
Some people say that Bakarkhani was invented in the mid-1700s. It's believed that the people of Sylhet first made it. They learned how to make it from Afghans who stayed in Sylhet after being defeated by the Mughals in 1612. Later, many Sylhetis moved to Dhaka and started selling Bakarkhani there. Today, most Bakarkhani sellers in Dhaka are from the Sylhet Division.
Handesh
Handesh is a sweet, puffy, deep-fried snack. It's made from molasses or sugar and flour. It's also known as teler pitha. People often eat it with tea as a snack. Handesh is very famous for special events like naming ceremonies, weddings, and the Eid festival.
Nunor Bora
Nunor Bora, also called Nungora, is a savory snack made from rice flour. It includes onion, ginger, and turmeric, which gives it a golden color. It's eaten with tea as a snack and is very popular during the Eid festival. Nunor Bora can be kept in a fridge and fried later.
Sunga Pitha
Sunga Fita is a traditional rice cake (pitha). This special treat is made by putting sticky rice inside young bamboo and slowly smoking it. Once it's ready, the rice cake comes out of the bamboo like a candle. It can also be made with binni rice, milk, sugar, coconut, and rice powder.
Tusha Shinni
Tusha Shinni is a type of flour halwa and a popular dessert. This dish is lightly spicy, soft, and sweet. It's very famous for different religious events. To make it, flour is fried and then added to a sugary syrup. It's often served with raisins and almonds on top.
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