(MENAFN- Gulf Times) In a unique event in Kolkata of India, Nayana Afroz of Dhaka and Somnath Roychoudhury of Kolkata presented ‘Bhortakahon";, a pop-up lunch celebrating contemporary Bangladeshi cuisine curated by well-known culinary expert and food historian Pritha Sen.
The presentation took place at UdaySadan, Golf Green, Kolkata.
Seen through the lens of the unique ‘Bhorta"; (meshed vegetable) which has become a cultural symbol of Bangladeshi identity,
‘Bhortakahon"; placed the erstwhile East Bengal Hindu cuisine and contemporary Bangladeshi Muslim cuisine side by side to demonstrate live, the nuances that today makes Bangladeshi cuisine similar yet different from the Bengalis of India.
The 19-course menu included two kinds of sherbets, two starters, assorted condiments, nine ‘bhortas"; (vegetable mesh), each different from the other, four main courses, a typical Bangladeshi ‘halwa"; for dessert as well as the famous ‘nokshi pitha"; to be carried back home.
Attended by over 100 of Kolkata";s top residents, the aim was to create awareness about Bangladeshi cuisine on one hand and its similarities or differences with Bengali cuisine on the other.
The first-of-its-kind event in India got wide appreciation though there were a few hiccups, due to the inclement weather.