28 Popular Bengali Food Dishes

Shukto is a traditional vegetable curry in Bengal using various veggies like bitter gourd, eggplant, plantain, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Due to the bitter gourd, Shukto tastes slightly bitter.

The locals in the West Bengal state often serve Shukto with rice to reduce the bitterness. As part of the traditional thali (platter meal), Shukto usually appears in several social ceremonies, such as burials or weddings.

Shukto has countless variants. Dudh Shukto is among the popular ones, with additional milk to eliminate the bitter shukto flavor.

Beguni is a traditional eggplant snack originating in Bengal. The locals slice the eggplants lengthwise and dip the eggplant pieces into a batter of besan (gram flour), salt, and turmeric. Then, the coated eggplant is deep-fried in oil until crunchy.

Besides being widely enjoyed as an iftar (a fast-breaking evening meal) in Bangladesh, beguni is also favored by native people in other Eastern Indian states, like Tripura or Assam.

Maccher Jhol has been a spicy fish curry in Bengal since ancient times. This spicy curry also appears in other regions with many native people, such as Bangladesh and Tripura.

Maccher Jhol consists of a gravy seasoned with garlic, ginger, onions, turmeric, and other Indian spices for its color and flavor. Local residents often add some tomatoes for a redder hue.

As for the fish, Maccher Jhol usually uses catla, ilishi, or rui fish. Since Maccher Jhol is quite fiery, this spicy fish curry goes well with rice.

Luchi is a traditional deep-fried flatbread popular in West Bengal. As luchi is made with maida flour (Indian wheat flour), this deep-fried flatbread often appears in ekadashi (the eleventh lunar day) or other special occasions prohibiting eating rice.

During that time, luchi is eaten with aloor dum (potato curry). On the other hand, on regular days, luchi usually goes with kosha mangsho (mutton curry).

Shorshe ilish is a traditional fish dish native to Bengal. The locals usually use hilsa or Tenualosa ilisha fish to make the delicacy. Then, the fish is cooked in a gravy made with mustard, green chili, red chili powder, and optionally coriander or lime juice.

Shorshe ilish has another version called shorshe ilish bhapa, which steams the fish instead of cooking it in the gravy.

Chingri malai curry is a prawn malai curry popular across Bengal. Also called malai chingri, this prawn malai curry uses 2 kinds of prawn: tiger and king, alongside coconut and Indian spices like posto seeds, sesame seeds, and turmeric powder.

Chingri malai curry usually appears as a guest dish during local celebrations, such as weddings. Lobster malai curry is great if you want a fancier version. Another variant worth mentioning is daab chingri, a prawn curry served in a green coconut shell.

Sandesh is a long-established Bengali dessert made with milk and sugar. Several sandesh versions replace milk with chhena or paneer (Indian cottage cheese).

Makha sandesh is the simplest version, only toasting chhena with sugar over a low flame. Still, the locals today often dry and press the cheese before cooking it to different textures for more complex sandesh.

Sandesh is sometimes added coconut or kheer, filled with syrup, or flavored with different fruits for more flavors.

Mishti doi is a traditional fermented sweet yogurt from Bengal. This fermented sweet yogurt starts by boiling milk until slightly thickened and sweetening it with jaggery (non-centrifugal cane sugar) or sugar.

Then, the cooked milk is left in an earthenware to ferment overnight. Mishti doi only gets a light seasoning with a dash of cardamom for aroma.

Unlike regular plain yogurt, this fermented sweet yogurt is well-loved in many Indian states like West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, and even Bangladesh, with variants from Nabadwip and Kolkata being the most popular.

Traditional mutton curry in Bengal is known as “kosha mangsho”. Since the locals make kosha mangsho in a kosha style (sautéeing and slow-cooking), Bengali mutton curry has less juice and more gravy than regular Indian mutton curries, and the mutton’s flavor is clearer.

Kosha mangsho’s predecessor is thought to be Mangsa Kashā (Odia mutton curry). Today, this mutton curry often appears in Kali Puja, a festival for the Kali Goddess.

Mughlai paratha is a traditional street food well-loved in Bengali. Mughlai paratha consists of a paratha flatbread stuffed with keema (spiced minced meat) and optionally eggs. Besides beef, some mughlai paratha use chicken or mutton for keema or skip the meat part.

Native people believe mughlai paratha originated in Bengal Subah during the Mughal Empire period as an equivalent of Gözleme (savory Turkish stuffed turnover).

Chomchom is a classic Bengali dessert made with cream, flour, milk, and sugar. Also called cham cham or chum chum, chomchom comes in various colors, with light pink, white, and light yellow as the main choices. Then, chomchom often gets a coating of coconut or mawa flakes.

Today, chomchom is vital to many festivals in this Eastern Indian state, such as the New Year holiday, Durga Puja (a Hindu festival for the Durga Goddess), and Pohela Boishakh (the Bengali calendar’s first day).

Chotpoti is a well-loved Bengali street food, especially in urban areas, made with chickpeas, onions, and potatoes. Chotpoti has countless toppings, but the common ones are boiled eggs, diced chilies, coriander leaves, cumin, puri (deep-fried unleavened bread), and tamarind chutney.

Always served hot, chotpoti is both sour and spicy. Diners will tell the shopkeeper how spicy or sour they want for their chotpoti.

Jhalmuri is a puffed rice snack widely enjoyed in Bengali and Bangladeshi streets. This puffed rice snack often contains puffed rice mixed with Bombay mix, mustard oil, spices, and vegetables. Common vegetables for jhamuri are onions, potatoes, and tomatoes.

Misthi pulao is a fragrant sweet rice dish in West Bengal. Misthi pulao often appears in ceremonies or marriages with Bengali mutton curry. While this sweet rice dish resembles Odia kanika, misthi pulao’s flavor is lighter.

Khichdi is a rice and lentil dish popular in Bengal under the name “khicuri”. Khicuri has numerous versions with different vegetables, but cauliflower, green peas, or potatoes are the most common choices. Several khicuri even use pearl millet or mung beans.

Kati rolls is a street food from Kolkata, West Bengal. Kati rolls originally consisted of a roasted kebab wrapped in a paratha flatbread. Today, kati rolls’ fillings have evolved a lot, as many local chefs use chicken, lamb, or mutton instead of traditional beef.

Besides the meat, kati rolls also contain egg, paneer cheese, or mixed vegetables in the stuffing. As for the sauce, coriander chutney is a regular option, but street vendors offer other optional sauces like lime juice or vinegar.

Kati rolls’ popularity has exceeded this Eastern Indian state. Many Indian take-out restaurants in Canada and the US also serve kati rolls.

Chadachadi is a unique Bengali mixed vegetable dish. The vegetables like cauliflower, eggplant, French beans, potatoes, and spinach are briefly stir-fried and fried in oil and ghee for a char flavor. Native people originally made chadachadi with leftover vegetables on weekends.

Lavanga latika is a traditional Bengali sweet with 3 main parts: the dough, filling, and sugar syrup. Lavanga latika dough is made with ghee, maida flour, and water. Then, a portion of filling using grated coconut, khoya (Indian milk solids), and sugar is placed on top of the dough.

Lavanga latika is folded and fried in hot ghee until crispy. Next, the locals place fried lavanga latika in sugar syrup for extra sweetness.

Ledikeni, or Lady Kenny, is a dessert ball widely consumed in West Bengal. Lady Kenny balls are made with chhena cheese and flour and lightly fried until reddish brown. Then, ledikeni is soaked in sugar syrup before serving.

Ledikeni got its name after Lady Canning, the wife of the Indian Governor General, in the middle of the 19th century.

Rasgulla is a syrup-filled ball dessert in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Here, rasgulla contains ball-shaped dumplings made of chhena dough. These chhena dumplings are cooked in a sugar syrup until the syrup soaks in thoroughly.

Due to an argument about rasgulla’s origin between Bengal and Odisha, the West Bengal government applied a geographical indication (GI) tag for Bengali rasgulla, also called Banglar rosogolla, in 2016.

Pantua is a local traditional sweet in Bengal, containing balls made with chhena, milk, semolina, and sugar syrup and deep-fried until pale brown or nearly black. The locals sometimes add cardamom or rose water for more flavors.

Pantua is quite similar to gulab jamun, a traditional Indian sweet, so pantua is also called the Bengali gulab jamun.

Shemai is a traditional vermicelli dessert in West Bengal. While shemai is mostly associated with Eid al-Fitr (Holiday of Breaking the Fast), the locals also eat this vermicelli dessert throughout the year.

Shemai combines roasted vermicelli with ghee, milk, spices, sugar, and other nuts. Other shemai versions add kheer or dried fruits.

Akhni is a mixed rice dish made by the Bengali Muslims. Many consider akhni a variation of biryani or pilaf (pulao). Akhni is cooked by mixing rice with cooking oil, doi, meat, spices, and vegetables.

Beef, chicken, goat, or lamb is the common meat for akhni, while local residents use cumin, garam masala, and Indian bay leaf for the seasonings. As for vegetables, akhni often contains carrots, peas, plums, or potatoes.

Lyangcha is a sweet originating from Bardhaman, West Bengal, with “langcha” as the local name. Lyangcha is traditionally made with khoya. But today, most vendors use flour and milk powder. Come to Burdwan, a West Bengali town, for the best lyangcha.

Flour and milk powder are mixed with soda and water into a dough and divided into cylindrical-shaped portions. These langcha pieces are fried and boiled in the sugar syrup. The last step is soaking lyangcha in cold sugar syrup for several hours.

Babarsa, or babarsha, is one of the oldest sweets in Bengal since it’s already 250 years old. Coming from the Khirpai area, babarsa is made to honor a trader who helped the locals defeat the Bargis.

Babarsa is a sweet ball using flour and ghee. The locals fry babarsa in ghee and keep it in a mold for a unique shape. Babarsa is traditionally covered with honey.

Pitha is a crepe-like dessert popular in West Bengal, with “pithe” as its local name. Pithe is often made with coconut, jaggery, milk, and rice flour. Sweet syrup, like date molasses, is pitha’s common accompaniment.

Handesh (oil pitha) and Nunor Bora are the 2 most popular pithe. While several pitha varieties are available all year round in Bengal, local harvest festivals like Nabanna require special pitha.

Zarda is an established boiled sweet rice dish in Bengal. Made with milk, saffron, and sugar, zarda often has almond, cardamon, pistachio, or raisin flavor. While this boiled sweet rice is mostly for special events like weddings, zarda also appears after a meal.

Iran and Turkey have 2 desserts similar to zarda: sholezard (saffron rice pudding) and zerde (rice pudding).

Ghugni is a chickpea or pea curry popular in West Bengal and other Eastern and Northeast Indian states. As the peas or chickpeas in ghugni differ according to the area, the locals make ghugni with dry white peas.

The peas are soaked overnight and boiled in water before cooking in a coconut gravy. Other seasonings include cilantro, cumin, garlic paste, ginger paste, and tamarind paste. Ghugni uses less oil, so the flavor is lighter and easier to eat.