Glossary

  •  Bangal : This term refers to people of East Bengal(now in Bangladesh).Some of the people,mainly Hindus migrated from Bangladesh during partition of India in 1947. These refugees were sometimes referred to as Bangal by the native population of West Bengal.The cultural rivalry of  Bangal  and Ghoti is well known  and is  kept alive through their different  food habits and support for their respective football teams-East Bengal(Bangal)and Mohun Bagan(Ghoti).
  • Bhog- er Khichuri : Khichuri or rice-lentil mish-mash offered to Gods/Goddesses  during puja or religious festival.It is a vegetarian dish made with dry roasted moong daal,rice and some nominated spices and vegetables of choice.
  • Double Boiler : A bowl suspended over a pan of barely simmering water,by not letting the bowl touch the  the water.It creates a seal with the bottom pan to trap the steam produced by the simmering water.Inside the top bowl you can melt chocolate  without the problem of it sticking to the bottom and burn.
  • Garam Masala  : It is a blend of  whole spices such as :cinnamon,clove,black-brown-greencardamom peppercorn,black and white cumin seeds,fennel seeds etc. Sometimes,few of the spices are excluded from the mix depending on the recipe and preference of the cook.The ground version of Garam masala(Garam masala powder) is  also often used in cooking to enhance the taste and flavor.
  • Ghoti : Ghoti as a social subgroup is opposite to Bangal and refers to people who were original native of West Bengal.Their dialect,cultural folklore,tradition and cuisine is known to be markedly different from the Bangal.
  • Khichuri/Khichri :  A South -East Asian comfort food with rice and legumes being cooked  together in the same pot .
  • Murighonto : It is generally a dry  and spicy Bengali dish with fried fish head,very little plain rice or flattened rice and potato .

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