Has the thought ‘Bengalis and their love for rice’ ever crossed your mind? How did rice become ubiquitous in every meal or cuisines that the people feast upon? Bengal has been famous for its exquisite cuisines, especially based on rice, ever since the civilization came into existence in the landscape of the gluttons.
The state of West Bengal and Bangladesh, traditionally, has been renowned for its extraordinary fertile agricultural land. Moreover, the production of paddy has been supported by the uninterrupted flow of the rivers. This is one of the main reasons why rice emerged as the staple diet of the Bengalis since time immemorial. Thus, a diverse and rich variety of dishes comprising of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian platters evolved. Dishes like posto ( poppy seed paste), dal (lentil soup), mutton and fish curry are consumed with rice. The satiety obtained from ‘devouring’ these dishes is unparalleled.
Paddy cultivation from Southeast Asia came to Bengal almost 5,000 years ago and rice became a major calorie resource of the Bengali daily life. The paddy cultivation is practiced almost three times a year in Bengal. The aman cultivation is the most important among the three. The paddy is planted during monsoon and harvested in the late autumn. Following this, the aush is second on the list. The paddy is planted around May-June and harvested during the August-September time period. However, the latest plantation practice is the boro, and has been popularized with the inception of new irrigation techniques. This particular cultivation takes place during the winter and the crop is harvested in early summer.
The rice has been the cynosure for various legends, literary texts, and religious practices. The significance of rice and dal, besides the rice and fish, in the daily life of a Bengali household can be traced back to the Vaishnava Bhakti cult movement. A substitute for fish and meat had to be discovered, as the followers were strict vegetarians. Preparation of rice and dal, known as Khichudi, offered to the deities as bhog, came into the limelight. And, this dish became significant for the people. Apart from this, different kinds of puffed rice such as muri, khoi and flattened rice also fulfilled the daily needs of the common mass. The fact that rice is so popular and acts as the primary food item in Bengali diet is evident in several government reports. For instance, a 1940s report showed that in order to survive 3600 calories were required daily, and almost 3500 calories were received from the rice itself. Amazing right?
“Give a bowl of rice to a man and you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to grow his own rice and you will save his life”-Confucius. The quote is valid even today.
