Nutritional value of Bengali cuisine

Bengalis are second to none in their food habits. They are at home in preparing the regional vegetables. They prepare a number of imaginative dishes with multiple vegetables which are being grown throughout the year. In addition, they are well-versed in making ambrosial dishes out of the rejected peels, leaves and stalks of vegetables. The paddy cultivation came in Bengal about 5,000 years ago from the Southeast Asia and rice became the chief source of calorie for the Bengalis daily life. In 1940s, the government report depicted that about 3600 calories are required daily in order to survive, and the Bengali population receives 3500 calories only from rice.

Some features of Bengali foods: -

• Paddy cultivation is being practiced thrice a year in Bengal. Among them, one is aman cultivation, when paddy is being planted in monsoon and harvested in the late autumn. The next is aush, which is being planted during May-June and harvested around August-September. The boro is new paddy plantation practice which is popularized with the new irrigation techniques among the Bengali farmers.
• In addition to the boiled rice, various types of puffed rice like muri, flattened rice and khoi fulfil the daily nutritional needs of common Bengalis.
• Dal has been the other main source of calories among the Bengali population.

Some important facts about the nutritional value of Bengali cuisine: -

• Fish: - Bengalis are fond of fish and derive the required protein intake from fish and dal. Fish is high protein food item which is low in saturated fat and calories. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish not only diminishes the heart disease but also ensures the proper growth of eye tissues and brain. In addition, it is easy to digest the proteins found in fish,
• Outer parts or leaves of flowers: - The outer leaves of cauliflower are very nutritious containing beta-carotene, fiber, calcium and iron. They are more nutritious than the main flower part. In Bengal, such parts like stalks, leaves, peels are being used in cooking as good cheap nutritious source.
• Lentils (Dal): - Besides being inexpensive, lentils (dal) are protein rich food with low fat and calorie. They are the chief source of iron and provide more folic acid when compared to other food items. Eating dals with vitamin c rich food items like tomatoes ensure the body to absorb iron efficiently.
• Parboiled rice: - Parboiled rice is the traditional Bengali food. In parboiling, unmilled rice is boiled for some time to drive the B vitamins like riboflavin, niacin, thiamin into the center if the grain from the outer bran. Thus, parboiled white rice possesses more B vitamins in comparison to white plain rice.
• Poppy seed: - Posto is very rich in calcium. One tablespoon of posto possesses 127 mg calcium. In addition, vegetables like palong and kochu contains sufficient amount of oxalate which binds up the calcium.

While cooking vegetables, stir-frying is the best method to retain the nutrient values followed by steaming. Bengali people implement the fuel-efficient methods to prepare the steaming vegetables or fishes in small covered bowl kept at the top of the rice pot. At Myaaku We feel pride in providing the supreme quality Bengali food and service with warm and welcoming environment.

My name is sujoy chakraborty.I Belong from Durgapur West bengal.From childhood only i love to write articles on foods.I went to different different places in our state to get to collect more information about Our Bengali Traditional foods.