Life and Food in Bengal/Chitrita Banerji. Reprint. New Delhi, Penguin,
2005, lxxxix, 237 p., (pbk). ISBN 0-14-303273-9.
Life and Food in Bengal/Chitrita Banerji. Reprint. New Delhi, Penguin,
2005, lxxxix, 237 p., (pbk). ISBN 0-14-303273-9.
Contents: Preface. Introduction. Eating and serving Bengali food. Prologue: colour, spice and smell. 1. Basanta, Grishma. Spring, summer. 2. Barsha. Monsoon. 3. Sharat, Hemanta. Early and late autumn. 4. Sheet. Winter. Epilogue: recaptured essences. Glossary of Bengali terms. Common Bengali preparations. Suggested menus. Select bibliography. Index.
"Bengalis are perhaps the greatest food lovers in the Indian subcontinent. Their cuisine, developed over the centuries, is based on a meticulous selection of local ingredients: rice, fish, meat, fruits, vegetables and a variety of spices.
In this revised edition of the classic Life and Food in Bengal, Chitrita Banerji invites the reader to 'enter, observe, feel and absorb' Bengal--the Indian State of West Bengal and the sovereign country of Bangladesh. Life in Bengal--a land of paddy fields and rivers full of fish--has always been governed by the agricultural year and the changing seasons. These have also determined the food that Bengalis eat as well as their rituals and festivals. Food is so inextricably linked to Bengali culture that even Bengali folk art and literature draw heavily on food and food-related motifs."