Winter delicacies in Bengal

Janani tomar shubho ahobaan diyache nikhil bhubone Notun dhanne hobe nabanno tomar bhobone bhobone


Mother (Bengal) your propitious call has echoed through to the far reaches of the universe.

New grain cooked in your name will grace every home that holds you dear.




Cultivated rice, including all its numerous varieties, originates from a wild plant called Newaree that grows along the lakes in Bengal. It is also native to Australia and has been documented in China since 2800BC.

The end of winter coincides with the harvesting of rice and a time of celebration in Bengal. The ‘nabanno’ is cooked in every hearth and the wife judged by her ability to decorate her home with ‘alpona’ – traditional deisgns painted onto the walls and floor with rice flour paste – and her skill at making ‘pithe’.



This spirit of competition is immortalized in Thakurma’s Jhuli.



Queen Kanchan Mala left to bathe one day. She emerged from the river to find that her maid - Kakon Mala - had donned her ornaments and stolen her identity. Bemoaning her fate Kanchan Mala accepted her role as maid.

Soon it was the festival of ‘pithe kuruli’ Women were expected to display their skills in pithe making and alpona. Whereas the false queen made blobs of alpona, Kanchan Mala decorated her room with artistic lotus blossoms, pots of gold and the feet of the goddess. Then the false queen cooked Ashke pithe, Chaske pithe and Ghashke pithe. Kanchan Mala busied herself with making Chandrapuli, Mohon Bansi, Kheer Muroli and Chandan Pata pithe. Her good taste proved her identity beyond doubt and Kanchan Mala was restored to her legitimate position.


All ‘pithes’ improve in flavour as they cool and mature over a day. They are often served with freshly extracted liquid jaggery made from the rising sap of the date palm – a winter product of Bengal.

Rosh Bora: Fried balls of urad dal paste flavoured with fennel and soaked in sugar syrup.

Gokul Pithe: (East Bengal) Crunchy crisp fried balls of grated coconut, khir (evaporated milk), raisins & flour. It is served coated in thick sugar syrup.

Patishapta (Pati = flat: Shapta = roll): (East Bengal) Thin rice pancakes stuffed with a filling of grated coconut and khir (evaporated milk) sweetened with either new jaggery or sugar & cardamom.

Chandrapuli: Grated coconut kneaded with khir (evaporated milk) cooked with powdered sugar and shaped into wafer thin crescents using the traditional Chandrapuli mould.

Pulir Payesh or Dudh Puli: Rice or semolina dumplings stuffed with a sweetened stuffing of khir & grated coconut served soaked in sweetened khir (evaporated milk) flavoured with cardamom.


Moonger Puli or Bhaja Puli; (West Bengal) Crisp fried balls of dry roasted & powdered mung dal stuffed with khir (evaporated milk) flavoured with cardamom. It is served coated with thick sugar syrup.

Shoru Chakli: Very fine rice pancakes to be eaten with freshly extracted liquid date palm jaggery.

Aloor Pithe: Fried elongated rolls of mashed sweet potatoe (shakkar kandy = sugar candy) stuffed with a filling of grated coconut, khir (evaporated milk), raisins, sweetened with either jaggery or sugar & cardamom. It is served soaked in syrup.

Poshano Patishapta: These dainty little patishaptas are served with a scoop of sweetened khir (evaporated milk).

Narkel Chitai Pithe: Steamed rice idlis stuffed with a filling of sweetened grated coconut. It is to be eaten with liquid date palm jaggery.

Khoi Puli: (East Bengal) Fried balls of flat rice kneaded with grated coconut sweetened with either jaggery or sugar. It is served soaked in syrup.

Kakra Pithe: A filling of grated coconut, khir (evaporated milk) and sugar is stuffed into rolled out balls of dough, shaped into crescents and deep fried till crisp. It is then soaked in syrup.

Malpua: A batter of flour and khir (evaporated milk) flavoured with raisins and fennel is fried into thick small pancakes. It is then soaked in syrup and served with sweetened khir (evaporated milk). It is offered to Sureshwar (Shiv – the destroyer who is credited as the lord of music).

Ashke Pithe and Ghaske Pithe: Balls of powdered rice kneaded with jaggery and milk are then deep fried and served piping hot.

Path Pithe: This is an interesting variation. Ripe mashed bananas are kneaded with jaggery and rice powder. A layer is spread over the inside of a banana leaf coated with oil. Folded into little parcels they are baked in a charcoal fire. The pithas, redolent of the fragrant banana leaf, are served with sweetened khir (evaporated milk).

Cholar Puli: (East Bengal) Crisp fried balls of powdered chana dal stuffed with coconut paste flavoured with cardamom. It is served coated with thick sugar syrup.

Associated Savouries: Kochuri Tarkari

Sweets: Sweets of the season use freshly extracted date palm jaggery - Sandesh, Payesh with rice and Jai Nagarer Moa.