Saturdays and Sundays. Weekend get together. Shiuli had always enjoyed them. But not now! Not when it was her turn to play host. What would she do? What could she do? Where to start from? Sad and confused, she gazed out into the cold bare street. She knew she had to do it all alone. No ma, no jemma, no thammi to guide her. She was far away from Kolkata, away from home. Shiuli was now in Philadelphia… married to Rajat… these four months…

This chapter unveils the culinary art of authentic Bengali cuisine. Fish and sweets are Bengal’s perennial favourite, but Bengalis do have a strong taste for most other vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. They even like to explore outside their regional boundaries to satisfy their taste buds. Not surprisingly enough, a host of other delicacies originating outside Bengal has become an integral part of the otherwise plentiful Bengali palate.

Browse through a selection of mouth-watering Bengali recipes.

Bon appétit!