Indulgence and fantasy: for a Bengali mind it’s only MISHTI

Nostalgia surrounds when we talk about “mishti” with a Bengali. If you have ever been with a Bengali person, he would always prefer a platter full of mishti over a scoop of ice-cream.

Engulfed in the zest of a festive mood, a flair of sweet-ness is all I want to share with everyone.

Growing up amidst a certain culture becomes so much a part of our life that we get connected to it strongly. I, being a Bengali would like to connect my culture with all the other cultures.

Bengali’s resemblance to sweets can be quite sweet when we talk about the sweets of Bengal. The sweets of Bengal do not simply mean sweets, in fact it upholds the Bengali tradition or perhaps is the proud of Bengal.

Sarcastically speaking, Bengali sweetmeats are rather synonymous to the trademark of Bengal. Sweets also define a Bengali character as well as their artistic talent. As known by all, “Sweets” even resemble a sweet name, a sweet voice, and a sweet language….. Which a Bengali posses!

Today, Sweets of Bengal are famous all over the world. Ancient Bengal was surrounded by a variety of sweet shops, which currently has turned out to be the Bengal’s heritage.

Well, a visit to Kolkata always remains incomplete till the visitors fondle the scrumptious Bengali sweetmeats.  Bengal perhaps is the only state in India to have such distinction, where every region is prominent for their distinguished sweetmeat, be it “Roshogolla” of Basirhaat, "Mowa" of Joynagar, "Sitabhog and Mihidana" of Burdwan, "Langcha" of Shaktigarh, “Jal bhora Sandesh” of Chandannagore, "Lal Doi" of Nabadwip, or "Shorbhaja and Shorpuria" of Krishnanagar, people will fall in love with it right away.

Mishti Doi

Sandesh

     

                                                                                                                

The white mushy sponge’ is the most famous and the ‘hottest’ sweet of Bengal- Roshogolla. A brilliant improvisation of roshogolla is the rasamali. Raj Bhog, the ‘royal meal’, is an inflated and modified edition of Roshogolla. Mishti doi is another mishti and is the so called Bengali dessert. Shaktigarh’s Langcha, an elongated fried sweet dipped in syrup is another one mouth savoring sweets in Bengal. Bengal is also famous for its variety Sandesh’s all over. Sitabhog and mihidana are another two famous sweets of Burdwan. Mowa made by muri or chire is also a Bengali sweetmeat.

Rashogolla

Raj bhog

Interestingly, the Marwari sweet shops today have also started serving the Bengali sweetmeats where as the Bengali sweet shops have also indulged in the preparation of non Bengali sweets like Laddoo, Kaju katli, Soan paapdi, Gulab jamun and so on. It seems that the sweet shops have gone into a sweet collaboration with each other

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Rasamalai

Langcha

Be it the mushy "Rossogolla" or the flabby ooze of the "Mishti Doi", the thawing “rasamali’s” or the heap of "Sandesh", the ghee ka “Laddoo” or the fried “Gulab jamun” Bengalis worship these sweet-delicacies, without paying a heed to the calories.

The bong bhoj thus, is always complete after a big mishti mukh (indulging teeth in sweets).

Facts:

• Roshogalla first evolved from Orissa.

• The “Sponge Rasgolla” in Kolkata wass discovered by Nobin Chandra Das (father of K.C.Das).

• The Cadbury Sandesh has come after “mishti wedding cadbury chocolate”

Ankita Chakraborty

PGPMC

2nd sem