The Kolkata Food Walk

The food tours and workshops are listed right at the end. So if you

want to get there directly, by passing the food ramblings (food is

close to our soul), please scroll down.

The people of Bengal are mostly avowed gastronomes. Let us first start with

the people of Bengal. Who are they? Here, when we talk of the people of

Bengal, we are not limiting ourselves to Bengalis alone but are gladly and

wholeheartedly including all those people who have made Bengal their home

for generations but may not be Bengalis by the strict measure of ethnicity. So

the people of Bengal, as we were saying earlier, are avowed gastronomes

and have over a period, contributed to the immense culinary heritage of the

region. Before you proceed any further, a caveat. This page is meant for

people with a keen interest on culinary heritage or those inclined similarly.

For all others, do not blame me if you find it "ho hum".

Lets begin with the Raj Era food of Kolkata.

For the sake for clarity we take Raj Era food as that which we had till our

independence from the British Raj. Some are still available in plenty.

Kolkata, or Calcutta if you will, was slowly evolved from a milieu of settlers

among which are, apart from the British and native Bengali, a host of races

and nationalities like the Chinese, Armenians, Bagdadee Jews, Portugese,

Marwari, Sindhi, Punjabi, Gujrati, Bihari, Nepali and every Indian and

neighbouring national that you could imagine. All these settlers earnestly

tried to preserve / follow their cuisines although over a period of time, there

came about irreversible changes due to local influence to account for palate

change and ingredient availability, economics, etc. Locally, cuisines varied

from religious influences like Hindu and Muslim cuisine types and yet some

entirely new cuisines were born, married subaltern from the Anglo and

Indian races who came together over time in the form of Anglo Indian Food.

Those were heady days for the well heeled and any food from the world was

available. Shining restaurants in Firpo’s and Great Eastern Hotel could give a

run for their money to many English and French Restaurants in the

“Continent”. The newly recruited Rajahs had expensive taste and imported

the very best Brandy and wine from Europe. So much so that Nobel Laureate

Rabindranath had to write ” deshe onno joler holo ghor onoton…khao

whiskey soda aar murgi moton” (loosely translated - since there is a paucity

of food and water in the country, eat and drink your fill of lamb, chicken,

whiskey and soda). Incidentally, we have been told that drinking Soda with

one’s tipple was a completely Indian custom by the Europeans as they were

not sure of the quality of water to be had here.

The Bengalis were not left behind and nurtured, evolved and refined their

own cuisine. These were done to not only suit the palate but also to give a

complete diet of essentials to the body as thought apt by the Kabiraji system

of healthcare. The growing occidental influence can also be seen

here.”Tahkur barir ranna” by Purnima Thakur (pub Ananda) can be a good

insight. The menus are still available for you to try.

One of the major changes brought into the Raj Era food was by the Dutch

who were masters of Milk based products. They, purportedly, introduced

cottage cheese or Chhena, to our households. It may be noted that earlier,

Sandesh given to Goddess Durga, used to be rough blocks of sugar lumps or

mondas. Chhana based sandesh was not offered as it was “mlechha” or non

hindu food. It took its own time to be an inevitable part of Pujo and proshad.

In that sense Rosogolla, invented by Nabin Chandra Das (God bless him) was

a very distinct Raj Era Food as are all the lovely Sondesh that you have at

Nakur or Bhim Ch Nag or any of the great inventors of Channa based

desserts that have made us proud (and egged our Diabetes). These are Raj

Era food that are still available.

Then there are those Raj Era food that are fighting a brave battle over pizzas

and pastas. Two names that come to mind are 1) Breast cutlet and 2)

Kabiraji Cutlet apart from the regular Fowl Cutlet ( Raj era name was Fowl

and not chicken!) and Moton (mutton) Cutlet. A favourite of the Bengali Babu

during adda, as a fuel after office or as a romantic add on behind closed

curtains in Sanguvalleys of Kolkata for amorous souls. Breast Cutlet should

not inspire in you either any erotic or horrible visage. It is just a case of

phonetical morphing by the Bengali Ear and tongue. Just as the British

tongue was loathe to say “Thakur” and could only manage Tagore, we on our

part said “Breast” instead o “Braised” cutlet. To save it self from the

ignominy of crust ensconced deep frying the braised cut of mutton renamed

itself a Breast Cutlet for bangalies. Similarly, Kabiraji Cutlet is certainly not

what the usual brhami shaag entrenched vegetarian Kabiraj Moshai would

prescribe. The cutlet came with a covering of Egg batter and that Coverage

cutlet became Kabiraji Cutlet. Raj Era food that are still available.

We invented other sweet desserts to honor our rulers. A sweet in honour of

Lady Canning became Ledikeni.Raj Era food that is still available.

When, during the Raj Era, the great, versatile and colourful Nawab of

Lucknow ; Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was exiled in Calcutta, he brought in a lot

more than dance, theatre and clothes. He brought in great food and the

Calcutta food scene was never the same again. The famous Calcutta biryani

started taking shape along with a lot of other food that are cooked on slow

flame and have copious ingredients that give nirvana to the tongue and

nightmare to the arteries.Raj Era Mughlai food that are still available.

The Chinese brought their own cuisine. The morning food bazaar in Italian

Eduardo Tiretta ‘s erstwhile domain near Podder Court still bears testimony to

that although the Cantonese eatery Nanking has closed decades ago. The

Hakka community came , excelled in leather trade and also gave us the

famous Chinese food which has seen many evolutions.

The Jewish bakery of Nahoums is still around with a lot of Raj Era relics, in

New Market.

Flury’s is surely not its old Raj Era avatar but still gives some sudden

glimpses of the Era through the patisserie products. Some people still like

the rum balls. The Continental food at Mocambos partially feels like a Raj Era

left over, unlike much continental food you would find in Europe, I am told.

Some swear by it and some at it. Raj Era food that are still available.

The indigenous sherbets at Paradise (near College Street) are definite Raj Era

drinks and a lot of people still come down for the Dab Sharbat and Cocoa

Malai. The North Kolkata telebhaja evoloved during this time and young Bile

(Vivekananda later) used to have a few. You can have it even now.

The Anglo Indian community invented many a tasty dish ranging from the

lentil based Mulligatwaney Soup, kedgeree to the Dak Bungalow Mutton

Curry (which the rest house chowkidars excelled in). Raj Era food that are

still available.

The above content is not complete and only a glimpse of the Raj Era food

scenario that can still be had today. Many a point must have been missed by

us and we would love to hear from you in case you can add value to this.

Some points may be debatable as with every occurrence without an

exhaustive documented past.

The Food Tour option 1- Street Food with the masses.

Every day, the office district has hundreds of thousands come into the city

from the suburbs. These people have had an early start to travel long

distances and reach their workplaces. Their loved ones at home do not

usually get time to prepare a lunch pack for them. Also, the long commute in

packed transport in hot and humid climes mean that the food would not

arrive fresh. We are also bereft of the astounding Dabbawallah culture that

Mumbai nurtures. So, the street food vendors fill in the gap by providing food

that is wholesome, nutritious, tasty yet super affordable. If they slip in

desired quality or freshness, jack up the prices or be offhandish, the food

vendor would lose patrons in what is a fiercely competitive scenario.

As you walk with us, take deep breaths to smell the myriad smells of cooked

curries and spices. Jostling for space on the sidewalk stalls you will find Rice

& Curry combos, Naan and Tikka Masala, Noodles and Hot Garlic Chicken,

Pasta in white sauce, Thai Red Curry, Roti and Sabji, Masala Muri, Chai and

Coffee, Lassi and plain yougurt, Toasts, sandwiches and masala omlettes,

Bengali Deserts, South Indian Delicasies, Biryani, fresh pressed juices and

what not. You could try some of the food, interact via us with the sellers and

patrons and generally soak in the buzz.

This tour starts around or after 10.30 am and is of 1.5 hours duration.

You may also want to complement this tour experience with a visit to a

bazaar to understand how the trade in the raw food items take place which is

a different experinece. If you do, you need to start very early in the morning.

We will have breakfast with the locals. Total time if you combine both tours

will be around 4 hours.

The Food Tour option 2- Iconic Food of Kolkata at famous eateries.

We take you to celebrated haunts, point out the famous dishes, explain the

nuances of the food and most importantly savour the food. There is a pre

condition - no weight watching today.

Jhalmuri, Phuchka, Kati Roll, Egg Devil, Fish Diamond Fry, Chicken Kabiraji,

Breast Cutlets, Daab Sherbats, Sandesh, Rosogolla, Mishti Doi are few of the

intrigue inspiring names that you will get introduced to. Since we will travel

to the places which are famous,they are not huddled together and we will

travel from location to location. That should give us time between two dishes

too! Beware, these are places that usually cater to locals who have been

frequenting these places for many decades, sometimes over a century and so

the decor takes a distinct back seat. Vegans, sorry we have little to offer you

in this version of food tour.

This tour starts late afternoons / early evenings. 

The Food Tour option 3- Pubbing and Dining

A simple affair. Why you would want us to be with you in this tour, we can't

fathom but so many guests insist. We explain the eatery and it's quirkiness to

you, point out the popular items of the menu and explain the food when it

arrives. Ease you into the eating techniques and fill you in with pertinent

stories. Make you feel safe. But, once again, you could do these easily, all by

yourself! Feel free to pick our brains when you plan a tour, no obligations at

all.

For Vegans - Bengali cuisine offers you a lot of choice. We are not about

fish and curry and mishti. We have uncountable dishes that do not use milk

or any other non vegeteranian ingrediants. Pumpkin Curry, Banana Flower

Curry, Lentil Cake Curries, Bottle gourd leaf curry, Bottle gourd with vadi,

more than 10 vatieties of daals, 10 types of Saags, etc. More than 100 dishes

we could recount. They have strange name types like Ghonto, Bharta, Paturi,

Dolma, Chochori, Shukto, Pora, Makha, Bhaja, Postos, Labra, Jhal, Jhol,

Ambal. These are types of dishes and can be made in many combinations.

We think they taste super. Unfortunately, most of these are usually not found

in their truest forms in restaurants, if at all. The trick to savouring these is

simple. You need to wrestle an invitation to a Bengali house and one where

they have kept traditional cooking alive! Or maybe, attend a cooking

workshop.

Cooking Workshops

All Indian cooking is NOT difficult! At least, a lot of it.

That is the first thing we want to mention and of course, mostly we agree

they are wonderful on our palates! Now, the term Indian Cooking is too

generic! The food we cook and consume in India or rather the subcontinent

is so diverse and different that we do not know where to start. The different

daals, cooking oils, seasoning spices, etc are varied by a wide margin. Yet,

together, they all constitute Indian cooking.

For the beginner, we will still recommend that you head to your favourite

restaurant for the kebab and naan unless you want to keep a tandoor oven at

home or make compromises like a typical show on YouTube - " Tandoori

Chicken without tandoor".

We specialise in Bengali Cuisine workshops but also do a reasonably good job

of Daals, Rajmas, Palak paneers, Idlis and Tikka Masala which are from

neighboring places in our country. We invite you to a Bengali Home (which

also gives you a real and non touristy insight into how we live). Here the

family members greet you with a cup of Darjeeling Tea or Nimbu Pani

mocktail. You are introduced first hand into the spices and condiments that

go into making some of the dishes that will be cooked and eaten. You see the

vegetables and other raw materials, get a demonstration of the cutting /

marination techiniques. Hygiene and cleanliness is paramount. Then we show

you how to cook some of the food, first hand, in the kitchen. We welcome

you to try your hand on the wok too. As the heady Indian spices engulf you,

you grow in confidence and when you actually eat what you helped cook, you

will understand that it is but a process to be followed with adequate planning,

sourcing and patience, seasoned with passion and love. We will share the

cooking processes of the dishes savoured, in writing, so you can show how

much of a wonderchef you are when you go back home.

This workshop happens usually in the evenings (lunch workshops are possible

too) and is a private workshop folllowed by a four/ five course Bengali

Dinner. Join us for one.