Defining Bengali Cuisine: The Culinary Difference Between West Bengal and Bangladesh

Food is said to be a great redeemer. The Harappan civilization (3300 BCE-1800 BCE) and the first traces of urbanization gave insights into how food was cultivated and explored. Later, as the Vedic period set in 1600 BCE and onwards, agriculture evolved, and new kinds of food (grains, plants, seeds) were discovered. Norms were laid for society on how to eat, what to eat and when to eat. The Vedas and Upanishads of the period documented them for times to come. Buddhism and Jainism, which emerged during this period, also laid down rules and regulations on food and its consumption. The advent of the Mahajanpadas came into form during the 600 BCE and saw much of the strictures laid in the Vedic era being followed. Agriculture evolved and as kings and nobility came into a more structured form, food accordingly aligned to their taste and style. Perhaps with the Mughals and the Sultanate (1200CE–1858CE), food underwent major transformations in terms of the kind of ingredients used, style of cooking, and approach to cooking. The influence of the colonial era on the food of Bengal has left a lasting impression, along with the Mughlai cuisine. Today, the food of West Bengal and Bangladesh are different in terms of approach to cooking. The base ingredients and the spices remain the same. The demographic nature of Bangladesh and the demographic heterogeneity of West Bengal means that the kind of food and the range is diversified.