Bengali culture has a rich tradition of relishing sweet foods. In Bangladesh, the production of various sweets is considered an art. Here sweets are related to various social and cultural celebrations. Different regions of Bangladesh have their own culture of producing sweets.
Renowned Traditional Sweets and Desserts of Bangladesh
Yogurt (Doi) of Bogra
When we want to taste Yogurt, the Bogura’s Mishti Doi (yogurt) comes to our mind first. Not to mention, Bogura’s Doi is one of the most famous deserts found in Bangladesh. This appetizing dairy product is prepared from cow milk.
Though Bogra is famous for Yogurt, this tradition initially started in Sherpur back in the 1960s. In those days, the makers used to sell curd door to door. Afterward, the owners of ‘
DoiGhar’ in Bogra started producing Yogurt using special techniques and later this dessert became famous for its awesome taste and superb quality. They are usually sold in clay pots.
Chhanar Polau (Chhanar Zarda) of Jamalpur
If you love the less sweet desserts, don’t miss the Chhanar Polau! Produced from the local cow-milk with high-quality sugar, this dessert tastes comparatively less sweet. It is told that fuel plays a magical role in the unique production method of Chanar Polau. For the preparation of this scrumptious sweet, the top quality wood is used as fuel.
Porrabarri ChomChom of Tangail
This sweet bears a sugar-powder coated reddish surface with succulent and soft inner-part. Why can't any general confectionery make the ‘ChomChom’ maintaining the same taste as ‘Porabarri ChomChom’? In the 19th century,
Joshoroth Haloi first made ChomChom with pure cow-milk and sugar using the water of Dhaleshwori River. People still believe that the water of Tangail’s Porabarri is the secret behind the magical taste of this sweet.
Sandesh of Satkheera
The Sandesh sweet of Satkheera district is famous around the country. This mouthwatering sweet is produced from pure chhana, extracted from local cow-milk. It also includes some quantity of sugar and flour. A variety of Sandesh sweets are made in Satkhira including Chana Sandesh, Pera Sandesh, Kheer Sandesh, Gurr Sandesh, and Nolen Gurrer Sondesh, etc.
Chhanamukhi of Brahmanbaria
It is the renowned sweet of Brahmmanbaria District. Each piece of Chhanamukhi sweet has a small square-shaped figure
bearing a crunchy firm surface. Made of pure chhana, this sweet is delicious and healthy. The solid sugar coating makes the surface of the sweet bit hard.
Balish Misti of Netrokona
Have you ever tried a pillow-shaped sweet? Try Balish Misti, the renowned sweet of Netrokona. The Bengali terms ‘Balish’ and ‘Misti’ refers to ‘pillow’ and ‘sweet’ respectively. The key ingredients of this sweet include milk, chhana, flour, and sugar. Sold at the rate of per piece, Balishmisti is produced in three sizes. The biggest size features about 12 to 13 inches.
Rasamanjari of Gaibandha
In 1940, Ramesh Chandra Ghosh first made the ‘Rasamanjari’ in Gaibandha. Later, its fame spread throughout the country and this desert became the traditional sweet of Gaibandha district. In this special dessert, round-shaped soft juicy sweets float in the middle of thick reddish milk called Kheer. Pure cow-milk, chhana, sugar, and cardamom are used to make this delightful sweet dessert.
Rosomalai (Rasmalai) of Comilla
Rosomalai dessert is the heritage of the Comilla district - invented by a Royal "moira" (Mishty supplier) under contract to serve the Puja-Parvanas of the Royal Court of Tripura (RD and SD Burman were part of that lineage). Comilla was the seat of that Royal Court prior to 1947, before they shifted to Agartala. . Interestingly, Rosomalai was initially called ‘kheerbhog’. In the Rosomalai dessert, a special preparation of milk called ‘Malai’ is applied besides sugar and flour. During the preparation process, 40 kg cow-milk is condensed for about 2 hours using a korai (big pan) to prepare 13 to 14 kg kheer. Then, Rosogolla sweets are made from flour and chhana of the milk-mixture. Commercial types come in smaller ball varieties, home made ones like below have larger round pieces.
Kachagolla of Natore
Natore’s famous traditional sweet ‘Kachagolla’ is a kind of dry sweet. The Bengali term, ‘Golla’ refers to circle/round. Interestingly,
kachagolla is not a round-shaped sweet though its name suggests. Kachagolla represents the aesthetic art of the sweets of Bangladesh. First, Chhana (milk-curd) is made from pure cow-milk and then mixed with sugar syrup. The combination is cooked, dried, and molded to make the final product Kachagolla.
Pera Sandesh of Naogaon
Naogaon’s ‘Pera Sandesh’ has a unique taste. It is a light brown colored sweet. According to hearsay, Mohendri Das first made Sandesh. This type of sweet was traditionally offered to deities in diverse worship pavilions. To prepare 1kg of Pera Sandesh, about 7 liters of pure cow-milk is required. During the preparation process of Pera Sandesh, solid Kheer is made of only two ingredients: condensed cow-milk and sugar. Using the palms, the Kheer is molded to bring the desired shapes. Each piece of Pera Sandesh sweet is about ½ inches wide and 2 inches long. Lately Peras flavored with Mango juice have become popular.
Savitri & Roskodom of Meherpur (Kushtia area)
The two sweets – Roskodom and savitri, – are representing the century-old tradition of the Meherpur district. The extraordinary characteristic of these sweets is that their flavor would remain unchanged for about a week in normal weather. The taste stays the same for about one month if preserved in a refrigerator. The key ingredients of these sweets are layers of boiled milk and sugar. During the preparation process, the sweets are boiled in the oven at specific temperatures for specific times.
Roskodom
Savitri
বাংলা ও বাঙালির বিরাট খাদ্য তালিকা নিয়ে কমবেশি সবাই অবগত। এত বাহারি পদের তালিকা,হরদম সেখানে কিছু না কিছু পরীক্ষা নিরীক্ষা চলছে। শ্রী চৈতন্যদেবের সময়ে যে বড়ি ছিল নিরামিষ রান্নার অন্যতম উপকরণ, বাঙালি দিল তা মাছের ঝোলের সাথে মিশিয়ে। তাহলে মিষ্টান্নই বা বাদ যায় কীসে? রসগোল্লা, মনোহরা ,বাবরসা...
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