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Best Bengali Foods
Keema is a stew that is usually prepared as a curry with ingredients such as minced lamb or chicken meat, green peas, ginger-garlic paste, chili, onions, ghee, and garam masala spices. The name of the dish means minced meat in Urdu. Although keema is most popular in north India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, some believe that the dish has Persian origins due to the fact that it was first mentioned as a recipe in Ain-I-Akbari (a document about emperor Akbar's empire).
Keema is commonly served as a main dish, accompanied by pav buns or naan and other flatbreads. It can also be used as a filling for samosas and parathas.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Curry
Golden-brown in color, flaky and layered, paratha is a type of Indian bread that is typically consumed for breakfast. The name comes from a combination of words parat and atta (flour), referring to the cooked, layered dough. It consists of whole wheat flour that is baked in ghee (Indian clarified butter) and comes in round, triangular, square, or heptagonal shapes.
Parathas are often stuffed with ingredients such as boiled potatoes, cauliflower, garlic, ginger, chili, paneer, or radish. They are sometimes accompanied by pickles, yogurt, homemade chutneys, or meat and vegetable curries. In Punjab, paratha is traditionally paired with lassi, a popular yogurt-based drink.
VARIATIONS OF Paratha
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Chomchom is a traditional sweet from Bangladesh consisting of milk that is cooked in sugar syrup. It is often flavored with lemon juice and cardamom powder. The sweet treat can be served in a few different varieties – with chopped nuts, malai cream, or grated coconut.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Panipuri is a street snack that is extremely popular in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal. Small in size, it consists of a hollow puri that is fried until crispy, then stuffed with a combination of flavored water called pani, tamarind chutney, chaat masala, potatoes, onions, hot chillis, and chickpeas.
In North India, panipuri is known as golgappa, gol referring to the crispy shell, and gappa referring to the eating process, since these small snacks are typically eaten one at a time. It is believed that panipuri originated in Uttar Pradesh and gradually spread in popularity throughout the country and outside of it.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Roshmalai or ras malai is a popular Bengali and Indian dessert consisting of milk, sugar and cardamom-flavored paneer cheese known as chhana. Almonds, cashews, and saffron are often added to the dessert. Roshmalai is of Bengali origin, and is sometimes described as a rich cheesecake without a crust.
The name of the dessert is a combination of two Bengali words, rosh, meaning sap, and Hindustani word malai, meaning cream. It is typically served chilled and garnished with cardamom seeds or dried fruits. This delicious dessert is most popular during the festivals such as Holi and Diwali.
Murgh tikka is a popular Indian dish made from marinated chicken pieces that are grilled or roasted to perfection. The word "murgh" means chicken in Hindi and Urdu, and "tikka" refers to small, boneless pieces of meat that are marinated and cooked on skewers.
The chicken is typically marinated in a mixture of yogurt, spices, lemon juice, and sometimes mustard oil, which tenderizes the meat and infuses it with a rich, tangy flavor. Common spices in the marinade include turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala, red chili powder, and paprika, which also give the dish its signature bright orange or red hue.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Tikka
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Beguni is a simple dish consists of deep-fried eggplant slices. The variations may include dipping the slices in batter or coating them with various combination of gram flour and spices. The batter is usually prepared with rice and gram flour, while the typical blend of spices includes turmeric, chili powder, and cumin.
Beguni is a Bengali dish, eaten both in Bangladesh and India. It is usually served with a yogurt-based sauce or chutney on the side, and it is usually enjoyed as a snack or street food. A similar dish is known as begun bhaji, but the slices are mostly vertical and are rarely dipped in batter.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Papadum is an Indian snack made with either gram, rice, or chickpea flour that is baked into a thin, crispy cracker bread. It can be consumed on its own, with pickles, or served with other dishes such as curries, when it's used as a utensil for scooping the dish up.
Papadum can also be topped with chutneys or raita sauce and accompanied by hot tea. With its popularity, there are some variations on the dish, such as rice papadum which is boiled in water and dried in the sun, masala papadum with spices such as black pepper, chili, cumin, and garlic, or jackfruit papadum from Karnataka, which combines jackfruit with chickpea flour.
VARIATIONS OF Papad
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Sandesh is a traditional sweet originating from the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. It is typically served as a dessert and consists of milk, chhena or paneer, sugar, and flavorings such as cardamom and saffron. The small paneer balls are typically garnished with pistachios, almonds, or crushed pineapple.
After spending some time in the refrigerator, well-chilled sandesh is ready to be served and consumed. Although sandesh is usually round in shape, it can also be shaped into elephants, fish, or conch shells.
Shami kebab is a variety of kebab made by combining minced lamb, mutton, beef or chicken with split bengal grams, onions, chilis, ginger, garlic, and various herbs and spices such as cumin, red chili flakes, garam masala, and mint leaves. The meat mixture is then seasoned with salt and pepper and shaped into round patties, which are then coated with beaten eggs and pan-fried until their exterior becomes crispy, but the patties remain silky and tender on the inside.
These kebabs are commonly enjoyed in India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and make for an excellent snack, appetizer, or an accompaniment to the main course. Believed to have originated in Lucknow, shami kebabs pair well with onions, lime or lemon wedges, roti or naan, and various chutneys on the side.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Kebab
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Best Bengali Food Producers
Teatulia is a company that stands out in the tea market due to its commitment to sustainability, quality, and ethical business practices. Located in the heart of Bangladesh, Teatulia is known for producing 100% organic teas that come from their own tea gardens in the Tetulia region.
Through their direct trade philosophy and partnership with local farmers, Teatulia not only ensures the highest quality of their products but also supports ecological and social initiatives that help communities and preserve the environment. Teatulia stands as a leader in the tea industry when it comes to sustainability.
BEST Teatulia Teas and Herbal Infusions
AWARDS
Great Taste Awards - 2 stars
2024
BEST The Eastern Pickle Company Preserved Fruits
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Best Bengali Food Products
AWARDS
Great Taste Awards - 2 stars
2024
AWARDS
Great Taste Awards - 2 stars
2024
Teatulia White Tea is an exceptionally delicate and light tea, known for its subtle sweetness and mildly floral aroma. This tea is the mildest of all tea types and is the least processed, which allows it to retain a high concentration of antioxidants and natural nutrients.
Teatulia White Tea comes from 100% organic tea gardens in Bangladesh, ensuring the purity and high quality of every leaf. This tea is characterized by its gentle, light color, which is both refreshing and calming, making it the perfect choice for those seeking a mild yet rich flavor.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 22 Bengali Foods” list until March 20, 2025, 1,817 ratings were recorded, of which 1,245 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.