Local Dishes

1. খিচুড়ি

   Khichuṛi

   Khichuri (rice cooked with lentils)

   Usage

   Rice cooked together with lentils; found in both Bangladesh and West Bengal. A rainy-season staple. In Dhaka a drier version with meat, "bhuna khichuri", is also common

2. বিরিয়ানি

   Biriyāni

   Biryani (spiced rice cooked with meat)

   Usage

   Made with aromatic rice, ghee, garam masala and meat. The same word covers different dishes by region: Dhaka's "kacchi biryani" with mutton and potato, Kolkata's biryani with a large potato and a boiled egg

3. তেহারি

   Tehāri

   Tehari (rice cooked with small pieces of meat)

   Usage

   Made with polao rice and meat; differs from biryani in that the meat is cut much smaller. Widely served as a lunch plate in Bangladeshi eateries

4. পোলাও

   Polāo

   Polao (spiced rice pilaf)

   Usage

   Aromatic rice cooked with ghee and spices. Lighter than biryani and eaten alongside curries; a standard dish at celebrations

5. মোরগ পোলাও

   Morog polāo

   Morog polao (chicken pilaf)

   Usage

   A chicken polao that originated in Old Dhaka and has spread across Bangladesh. Rarely seen in West Bengal

6. পান্তা ভাত

   Pāntā bhāt

   Panta bhat (rice soaked in water overnight)

   Usage

   Leftover rice left to soak in water overnight. A rural breakfast eaten with onion, green chilli and dried fish; also served in cities with fried hilsa at the Bengali new year

7. মাছের ঝোল

   Māchher jhol

   Macher jhol (Bengali fish curry)

   Usage

   A thin fish curry served with plain rice, often with vegetables added. The most everyday of Bengali home dishes in both Bangladesh and West Bengal

8. সর্ষে ইলিশ

   Sarṣe iliś

   Shorshe ilish (hilsa in mustard sauce)

   Usage

   Hilsa cooked in a mustard sauce. Hilsa is Bangladesh's national fish and is prized equally in West Bengal. Note that it is extremely bony

9. পাতুরি

   Pāturi

   Paturi (fish or vegetables steamed in a leaf parcel)

   Usage

   Ingredients wrapped in a leaf (banana or pumpkin), tied with thread and cooked slowly. Fish versions are the most common; bhetki paturi is famous in West Bengal. Vegetarian versions also exist

10. শুঁটকি মাছ

    Śũṭaki māchh

    Shutki (dried fish)

    Usage

    Fish preserved by sun-drying, with a strong smell and saltiness, usually stir-fried with chilli. Associated with the coastal areas around Chittagong and Cox's Bazar. Ask before ordering if you dislike strong-smelling food

11. ভর্তা

    Bhartā

    Bhorta (mashed vegetable or fish side dish)

    Usage

    A general term for boiled vegetables or fish mashed with chilli, onion and oil. Eateries often serve a rice plate with several bhortas. Individual names take the form "(ingredient) + bhorta"

12. আলু ভর্তা

    Ālu bhartā

    Alu bhorta (mashed potato with chilli and onion)

    Usage

    Boiled potato mashed with chilli, onion and oil — the most common bhorta. Contains no meat or fish, so it is an easy order for vegetarian travellers

13. শুক্তো

    Śukto

    Shukto (bitter mixed-vegetable stew)

    Usage

    A slightly bitter vegetable dish (often with bitter gourd) eaten in small amounts at the start of a meal. Especially established as home cooking in West Bengal. Contains no meat or fish

14. কষা মাংস

    Kaṣā māṃs

    Kosha mangsho (thick slow-cooked meat curry)

    Usage

    Meat slow-cooked until the sauce is thick and dark. In Kolkata eateries the standard version uses goat meat, served with luchi or polao. Ask which meat is used if it matters to you

15. কালাভুনা

    Kālābhunā

    Kala bhuna (meat braised until almost black)

    Usage

    A Chittagong dish, braised with spices until nearly black. Normally made with beef or goat; it is a Bangladeshi dish and is not on the menu of ordinary West Bengal eateries. If you avoid beef, ask whether a goat-meat version is available

16. লুচি

    Luchi

    Luchi (deep-fried flatbread)

    Usage

    A puffed white bread of refined wheat flour, deep-fried. Served at breakfast and on festive occasions with curries or vegetable dishes, in both Bangladesh and West Bengal

17. পরোটা

    Paroṭā

    Porota (layered pan-fried flatbread)

    Usage

    Dough folded into layers and pan-fried. A standard Bangladeshi breakfast with dal or egg. The same word as Hindi "paratha"

18. বাকরখানি

    Bākarakhāni

    Bakarkhani (crisp layered bread)

    Usage

    A thin, hard, layered bread. Famous as an Old Dhaka breakfast, eaten dipped in tea. Hard to find outside Dhaka

19. সিঙাড়া

    Siṅāṛā

    Shingara (triangular fried pastry)

    Usage

    A fried pastry cone with a savoury filling, usually spiced potato and vegetables. Also spelled "shingara"; treated as distinct from samosa in Bengal

20. বেগুনি

    Beguni

    Beguni (battered aubergine fritter)

    Usage

    Slices of aubergine dipped in chickpea-flour batter and fried. Originated in Bangladesh and also eaten in India; sold at evening street stalls

21. ফুচকা

    Phuchakā

    Phuchka (crisp hollow shells filled with tangy water)

    Usage

    Hollow fried shells filled with chickpea or potato and tangy water, eaten in one bite. "Phuchka" is the name used across Bangladesh and West Bengal; other parts of India use different names. Street versions may use untreated water — judge for yourself

22. চটপটি

    Chaṭapaṭi

    Chotpoti (spicy chickpea and potato snack)

    Usage

    Boiled chickpeas, potato and egg with a tamarind sourness. Especially popular in Bangladeshi cities and bought from stalls rather than made at home

23. ঝালমুড়ি

    Jhālamuṛi

    Jhalmuri (spiced puffed rice)

    Usage

    Puffed rice tossed with chanachur, spices and mustard oil. Popular in both Bangladesh and India, hawked outside schools and colleges and mixed to order

24. হালিম

    Hālim

    Haleem (thick stew of lentils, wheat and meat)

    Usage

    Several kinds of lentils simmered for hours with wheat, meat and garam masala. Found across South Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia; in Bangladesh it is a staple of the evening meal during Ramadan

25. ভাপা পিঠা

    Bhāpā piṭhā

    Bhapa pitha (steamed rice-flour cake)

    Usage

    A winter cake of steamed rice flour filled with date-palm jaggery and coconut. "Pitha" (spelled "pithe" in West Bengal) is the general term for such rice cakes, sold at street stalls in winter

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