Taste of Bangladesh: An attempt to connect to the roots

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Bangladeshis do love to cook, feed and eat. If we look closely at the regular items we devour, we see that the amount of preparation they require is massive, particularly in case of home cooked meals. Starting from the preparation of items to the final act of cooking, every step requires proper measurement as the binding of spices with the vegetables or the meat are profoundly important and an act of patience. The same is true for our festival foods. With signature aroma, flavours and the aftertaste they leave, they became an important part of our memories of not only devouring a special item, but also the sheer joy we attain by sharing those with our near and dear ones. 

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However, in a city like Dhaka, where restaurants popping up here and there are offering a smorgasbord of local and international cuisines, how important is a food festival? Especially one that offers only regional delicacies that bear a testimony of culture and heritage? Mujib's Bangladesh Food Festival Taste of Bangladesh, organised by Bangladesh Tourism Board, was somehow able to attract a diverse group of visitors, foodies and bloggers, and of course for the right reasons. With 46 participants featuring their delicacies in 51 stalls from both urban and regional setups, the festival became a melting pot of gastronomic diversity that is Bangladesh's best kept secret from even its local Gen Z and backpacking international travelers.

Savoury items are instant-hits

The one spicy curry that was selling like hotcakes at the event was Abbas Hotel's mutton Chuijhaal curry. Using the bark of a tree from Khulna, the northern district of Bangladesh, the curry is filled with gravy, spicy, and will give you a sweaty experience of a meal sure to release lots of endorphins and dopamine. One piece of meat costing Tk220 seemed a bit pricey to me. However, almost everyone I found having lunch was binging on this curry. 

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Chattogram's famous Mezbani goshto or Khulna's Tiger prawn malaikari were also there but the thunder of both was stolen by Chui jhal. Food Village Eco resort's fried Crab and Lobster were also picked up often as they required little effort to devour. One piece of crab was Tk200 and lobster was Tk300. Bangladesh Tourism Corporation and five star hotels like Westin and Intercontinental offered usual Bangladeshi curries, which also had a good demand. 

Indigenous foods

Niranjan Singha's Tareng, Manipuri Handloom & Craft Research Center had their own stall promoting community tourism through their local foods. Their food platter named Chaluk was one awe-inspiring menu. Binni rice, fried Tulsi leaf, local curry, ambal and deserts like Binnir payesh or husked rice and sesame naru — a complete feast for any adventure-seeking foodie. Their caramel hibiscus leaf tea, known as "Heyna Patar Cha" was something I had never even heard of before.

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A chocolate factory for those with sweet tooth

Taste of Bangladesh featured a good number of sweetmeat shops, which once again reminds me of the rich heritage of the dairy-based sweet industry. From Barishal to Jashore, there are different kinds of chhana-based sweetmeats, many of which look similar, but taste subtly different. Joy Guru Mistanyo Vandar's dry shondesh or Jamtolar Sadek Mistanyo Vandar's white and jaggery gola will surely make any occasion more enjoyable. The Monda from Muktagacha, however, didn't taste as enticing as they used to many years ago. When asked, the owners blamed it on the quality of milk and the lack of craftsmanship.

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Drinking hot and cold

Raja's famous tea shop with lots of brass tableware was a shop not-to-miss. The tea-seller has already made numerous headlines for his thick milk tea served with powdered milk and groundnuts. Watching him serve tea was almost like watching a performance act and anyone with a sweet tooth would love to sip on the liquid delicacy. Those who wanted to taste something cold, Juice Valley's raw mango or melon juices came to the rescue, though they were nothing extraordinary. The Kulfido was serving kulfi which was another popular item, though I found it just like any other ice cream, smeared with the flavour of thick milk, lacking the traditional kulfi flavours of saffron or white cardamom. 

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Produces and products 

While a number of participating stalls featured products and produce by local farmers and food craftsmen. The one that caught my notice was Abad, which became an instant hit for selling Tulshimala rice — an erstwhile form of rice known for its impeccable ivory beauty and aroma. As the locals claim, the rice not only tastes amazing but also is light on the stomach and is good for those with gastritis. 

Abad started producing the century-old paddy of Sherpur in September 2020 and the customer demand is noticeable. Costing Tk150 a kilo and perfect to cook festival foods like polao and payesh, the rice is cost effective and worth the try. The stall also saw customers flocking there for shidol, a special kind of dry fish of Rangpur region, a piece costing Tk65. Pappadum from Dinajpur Udyoktaborgo was another go-to snack for many visitors. The crunchy snack is perfect with tea in the evening. 

The festival showcased punthi path, regional pop songs, and a rendition by Kuddus Boyati. However, one missing part was the presence of local farmers and food craftsmen. The story telling part was limited to some well-designed banners. There could have been much more to unfurl the stories of so many lost varieties of rice or a cooking technique that couldn't stand the test of time. 

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Even though some praiseworthy NGO-based initiatives were being featured, the impact storytelling part was missing the expert touch. The Facebook driven event page did attract a lot of food photographers and bloggers but eventually it turned out to be another cesspool of wannabe food lovers. A more engaging storytelling and immersive experience that could have invoked a sense of responsibility among consumers to encourage them to show more empathy towards the producer's of such items.

After all, a good branding can make sure that such heritage items never go extinct, rather keep winning the hearts of Gen Z, at home and abroad.