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ORIYA & BENGALI CUISINE
ndian food is typically associated with a lot of masala, spices and high calories. The dietary
habits of people in the Eastern coastal states of Orissa and West Bengal include the
consumption of a lot of fish. Cooked with very little or, at times without oil, these two eastern
states offer a variety of low-calorie delicacies. There are many similarities yet vast differences
in the Oriya and Bengali cuisine. Both regions have their distinctive food habits and cooking
styles: Bhaja, Bhapa, Bhuna, Chachchari, Chhenchara, Dalma, Dalna, Dum, Ghanto, Jhol,
pora, and tarakari. To the casual palate, the Eastern ndian food means rice and fish. Rice is
the staple food. The other characteristic of coastal cuisines is the use of coconut in many
recipes. Unlike other coastal kitchens, however, coconut oil is not used. The preferred cooking
medium is mustard oil or refined vegetable oil (mostly groundnut). Traditionally food was
cooked on cowpat (made of dried cowdung), wood or charcoal fires but recent years have seen
an emergence of gas, electric, and microwave ovens.
n terms of day-to-day cooking, Eastern ndians don't use many spices. The main
ingredients in most of their food is Paanch phhotan (in Oriya) or Phancch Phoran (in Bengali),
which is a mixture of mustard seeds, coriander seeds, meethi seeds, black coriander seeds etc.
This is used for seasoning. The other major ingredient is garlic and mustard seeds finely
ground together, called as Besara in Oriya and Sorsho Bata in Bengali. Oriyas and Bengalis
are rice eaters and along with rice, a typical Oriya or Bengali meal has to have a combination of
a deep-fried vegetable; a mixed vegetable which is cooked with garlic and mustard paste and
seasoned with paanch phootan; and of course, the ubiqitous Maccher Jhol (fish curry).
Oriya and Bengali cuisine recognizes and gives a place for the five basic tastes of
astringent, bitter, sweet, sour and hot. While an Oriya meal does not have a specific course of
serving the food items, an authentic Bengali meal does. t begins with bitters, either in the form
of shukto (a kind of stew with vegetables, drumsticks or bitter gourd) and moves on in stages
through the dhals with fries and fritters, a vegetable dish like a ghonto or chhokka, to the non-
vegetarian items of fish or meat. Before ending on a sweet note, there is the occasional treat of
an astringent or sweet chutney.
n general, Oriya and Bengali meals include one or more of the following.
Rice, white and parboiled (most commonly used). Rice is the staple food in Orissa and
Bengal and is incorporated in many ways. For example puffed rice is used frequently
for breakfast and snacks.
Rotis are consumed mostly at dinnertime or during breakfast.
Dhals and legumes of various kinds. Most common dhals are toor, urad (especially to
make cakes and snacks), gram and mung (most frequently used). Dhal is sometimes
cooked with vegetables called "dalma.
Fish is an integral part of the diet. n fact it is considered auspicious, and no Oriya and
Bengali function can do without fish. The fish curry is usually cooked with mustard and
garlic paste. And there is a preference for Hilsa fish followed by Rohu and Katla (all
three are fresh water fishes). The delicious Dahi Macch is prepared with fried fish
dipped in gravy made out of curd.
Mutton, chicken, and eggs, along with seafood are also used. The coastline offers an
abundant variety of shrimps, lobsters, and crabs that are relished in a variety of cooking
styles and often spiced up.
Consumption of lamb and pork are not very common in Eastern ndia.
Vegetables are consumed in different forms: stir-fried, sauteed, bhartha (pureed or
minced vegetables), or curried with a paste of garlic, ginger, and onion. Fresh
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vegetables are often seasoned with light spices (Paanch phhotan). Often vegetables
are cooked with fish, mutton, and chicken, especially in the curry form.
Fruits are consumed fresh, mostly as after dinner desserts. These include watermelon,
mango, lichees, apples, oranges, guavas, papayas, and a variety of plantains, and
bananas.
Tea is the most popular drink and is usually served with milk and sugar. Use of coffee
is rare in the average households. Other popular drinks are coconut milk (from the
young coconut, mostly a popular street-side drink), Lassi, a delicious iced curd drink,
and Nimbu paani (lemon squash).
Ghee is served on top of rice to enhance flavor.
Water is served with meals. Most people sit down on the floor on a mat during meals
and eat with their fingers.
Coconut - is abundantly available and mostly used in the cooking (curries, dalma,
sweets, chutneys) etc.
Sweets
People of Orissa and West Bengal are sweet lovers, and have always been known for their
particular weakness for sweets. t is rare to see meals completed without sweets. The choice
of sweets for Oriya and Bengali meals are unlimited. From the ubiquitous mishti doi and
rossogolla, to the more rare pithey and pulli, the choice is boundless. Certain sweets are made
on special events. Use of chhana (reduced milk) for making sweets is honed to perfection.
Rasogolla and innumerable varieties of sandesh are available today. Besides these the
tradition of home made pitha, and sweets made of rice powder, sweet potato, kheer, coconut
and gur is still common.
MeaI Pattern for the TraditionaI Oriya/BengaIi CIient with Type 2 Diabetes
Time TypicaI Modified
Breakfast
(7:30 AM)
1 cup tea with whole milk
and sugar
1 cup chuda (puffed rice)
upama
1 cup tea with skim milk (or 1% fat
milk) and with no sugar (preferable).
2 slices of whole wheat roti/ bread toast.
2 table spoon of chutney
2 tsp margarine
Snack (10:30 AM) 1 fruit
3 graham crackers
Lunch
(12:00 noon)
3 cups of rice
2 oz of meat or fish
1 cup of dhal
1 cup of stir-fried
vegetables
2 table spoon of
tomato/dhania chutney
ghee, pickles
1 cups of brown rice
cup of dhal
1 cup of vegetable curry
1 cup of stir-fried vegetables
2 oz of fish (low fat) or meat (white, lean)
1 cup low fat yogurt
2 table spoon of tomato or dhania chutney
(fresh)
Afternoon tea and
snacks (3:30 PM)
2 cups of Mudhi (puffed
rice) and mixture (fried
nuts and legumes)
cup dry cereal mix
or
3 saltine-type crackers
or
10 unsalted roasted peanuts
oz salt-free pretzels
1 cup tea with low fat milk and no sugar.
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Dinner (7:00 PM) 3 cups of rice
1 cup of dhal
3 oz of meat or fish
1 cup of stir-fried
vegetables
1 cup of curry (mixed
vegetable and chickpeas).
pickles
1 cup brown rice
1 roti
1 cup stir-fried vegetables
cup mixed vegetables with
chickpeas.
1 cup dhal
or
3 oz of chicken or fish
cup salad
Snack (9:00 PM) 1 fresh fruit
1 cup of skim milk
HeaIthy Foods Not so heart-heaIthy (use Iess often)
Starches
Roti Parata fried with oil
Plain brown/basmati rice Pulao or fried rice w/ >1 tsp oil
Roasted mudhi or chuda (puffed rice) Chuda upama with oil and vegetables
Meat or meat aIternatives
Dhal (mung, toor, or masoor Dhal with lots of oil or ghee
Baked Fish or Chicken Fried chicken or fish
Pan-fried fish w/masala Fried fish in tomato gravy
(cooked with oil and spices)
VegetabIe dishes
Stir-fried vegetables Vegetable curry w/ lots of oil and spices
Dalma (mixed Vegetable w/ dal) Dalma with coconut and ghee
Dairy
Yogurt and buttermilk made w/ skim milk Yogurt and buttermilk w/ whole or 2% milk
Raita made with low-fat milk Raita with fried boondi
Rasgolla and other steamed desserts Desserts made with whole milk and or fried
Fruit dishes
Plain fresh fruit Fruit salad with w/jaggery & nuts
Weekend and Party PIanning
Food plays an important role in social gatherings of Oriyas and Bengalis. Festivals and
weekends are the time when people indulge in rich and high calorie food, alcoholic beverages,
and soft drinks. Plan ahead and adjust your food intake for the whole day to avoid a heavy
overload of carbohydrates and fats and protein. Request your host or the Restaurant to prepare
1-2 special or modified dishes for you!
Ranjita Misra, PhD, CHES is an Assistant Professor in HeaIth and KinesioIogy Department
at Texas A&M University. She has a M.S in Food and Nutrition from Banaras Hindu
University and PhD in PubIic HeaIth from OId Dominion University, Virginia. Her current
research is focused on heaIth promotion behaviors and chronic diseases (diabetes,
cardiovascuIar disease, and cancer) among the Asian Indians, minorities, and the
eIderIy. For more information caII 979-845-8726 or emaiI [email protected] .
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References
1. ntroductory Nutrition and Nutrition Therapy by Marian Maltese Eschleman. Lippincott
Publishers, Philadelphia, 1996.
2. "Bengali Cooking: Seasons and Festivals" by Chitrita Banerji. Published by nbook.
3. "The Calcutta Cook Book: A Treasury of Recipes from Pavement to Palace" by
Minakshie Dasgupta. Penguin Publishers.
4. "A Taste of ndia" by Madhur Jaffrey. Macmillan Publishing Company, ncorporated.
5. "The Healthy Cuisine of ndia: Recipes from the Bengal Region" by Bharti Kirchner.
Published by Lowell House, Los Angeles.
6. http://hicalcutta.com/sutapa/recipes/
