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One of the most prominent aspects of the innocent and long-standing 'ghoti-bangal' tussle across Bengal is the taste for sweetness in food. Ghotis refer to the native residents of West Bengal, who are known to have a pronounced love for sweetness, not just in desserts but also in their savoury dishes! Unlike Bangal cuisine, which tends to be spicier and more robust, and tends to use whole chillies, Ghoti dishes often incorporate a subtle balance of sweet notes.
“The subtly sweet undertones in our Bengali-style chholar dal is most likely a Ghoti intervention; my mother spent her adolescence in the Mymensingh, in Bangladesh and she would often recall how they would typically have savoury dals at home that would have prominent spice notes,” shares Guwahati-based chef Damini Sinha Roy.
“In West Bengal, chholar dal was made using a touch of sugar or jaggery. I think the Banglas added coconuts to it. It also makes generous use of panch phoron (a five-spice blend) in tempering which also contributes to a complex flavour profile. This concoction went on to become so popular that it’s the one that survived,” she adds.
Another popular condiment that went through a flavour do-over was the Bengali-style tomato chutney, says Sujata Bhattacharya, a home chef. “The tomato chutney that we make now with ripe tomatoes, dates, and sugar is quite sweet and slightly tarty, but the one I remember from my parents' home was actually more acidic. The tangy taste pairs well with savoury dishes; my parents were both refugees from Bangladesh. I was married into a ‘Ghoti’ family and that’s when I realised that the Ghoti palate appreciates sweetness in almost everything and now I enjoy it too.”
How flavours blended beyond borders
The cultural and culinary exchange between East and West Bengal is rich and multifaceted, shaped by history, migration, and shared traditions. The partition of Bengal in 1947 and the subsequent creation of East Pakistan (later Bangladesh in 1971) led to significant migration and the blending of culinary practices between the two regions. Despite political boundaries, the culinary traditions of Bangladesh and West Bengal have continued to influence each other.
For instance, in 1942 the Bengal government started to import wheat from Haryana and UP to Calcutta, to fight the food crisis. After Independence, the govt started to give wheat as a ration and this is how East Bangalis in Calcutta learned to love roti, whereas the Banglas held on rice. Sinha Roy observes that ‘Bangal’ food is mainly focused on preserving the flavour of the produce or raw fish and meat.
“One of the most significant cooking techniques that travelled from Bangladesh to West Bengal is the art of "bhapa" or steaming, bhapa pithe is very popular in Dhaka still," she says.
"Traditional fish curries in our erstwhile home in Bangladesh were made with raw fish and not fried fish as we do now, so we could still get a strong piscine accent in the curry. So it had to be accompanied by a fiery recipe with shorshe, lonka and phoron to complement the natural accent. In Chittagong, sun-drying or salt-fermentation was quite popular as it was a clever way to preserve flavour for a long time."
Bhattacharya can't help but mention the culinary legacies and techniques that were lost during the years following the partition. "There were plenty of produce, grains and herbs which were difficult to source in Calcutta. For families who would forage taro and coriander from their backyards, it was a struggle adjusting to the bazaars of a city like Calcutta. My mother would tell me that during the early years of partition, she missed the rice and khoi (popped rice) the most; the Kaima rice was a staple in Bangladesh," she shares.
In the first few years following Partition, movement across the newly drawn border was fairly free and people could travel back and forth and move goods and grains. By 1952, however, restrictions were strictly in place which made passage much harder. Bhattacharya, however, appreciates how social media has helped her keep in touch with her roots.
"Of course, our family was lucky to have a home and enough resources during those times. There were plenty of families who had to deal with unmatched poverty and could barely afford two meals! Preservation of family recipes at a time so chaotic was almost impossible. Now, however when I see people from both countries exchanging recipes and traditions on social media, it's so precious," she says.
