Sundarban: food and festival
Food
If one expects any special type of cuisine during a Sundarban tour then they might be disappointed.
Sundarban is rich in the Bengali culture but it doesn’t have any stand alone restaurants or any special
cuisine. But one always has the option to go to resorts and guesthouses that serve various types of
cuisines from all around the country. If you hire a launch for the Sundarban tour, there is always a chef
present in the boat. The boat by the Sundarban tourism department allows tourists to have different
type of dishes in the boat itself. One special item that everyone must add in a Sundarban tour package is
the Hilsa fish or as the Bengalis says “Ilish Maach”. One can try fishes, crabs and other sea food directly
and freshly caught from the sea. Though they do not have any special cuisine, the various types of food
items that tourists from round the globe must absolutely try are as follows:
1. Hilsa Fish or Ilish Maach: The hilsa fish is one of the signature dishes of the Bengalis. It can be
prepared as a curry or fried. Bhapa Ilish is something that is exceptionally delicious and requires
an effortless cooking. It is prepared by steaming the hilsa fish in mustard oil, turmeric, green
chilli and salt. The spicy flavour of the Bengalis is mouth-watering and the freshwater fishes
make the dish even more delicious. Hilsa is considered one of the traditional Bengali dishes and
one should definitely try to include a dish prepared with hilsa during a Sundarban tour package.
2. Chingri maacher malaikari: Another of Bengals special dishes ids chingri maacher malaikari. It
is also a non-veg dish that Bengalis truly love to have. “Chingri maach” or prawn can easily be
found in the freshwater rivers of Sundarban. This dish is easily available in the resorts of
Sundarban tourism department. The prawn is prepared with a creamy, coconut, delicious gravy,
flavoured with cinnamon and green cardamoms or chota elichi. Both Golda chingri (giant
freshwater prawn) and bagda chingri (tiger prawn) can be used for the preparation of this dish
and are easily available.
3. Kosha mangsho: The Bengali Mutton or Chicken Kasha or curry is another of the signature
dishes of the Bengalis. This dish originated from a restaurant in Kolkata names Golbari and has
been famous ever since. The dish is also available in Sundarban as the boats get their grocery for
preparation of all the food items beforehand. Kasha Mangsho is a dry, slow-cooked, dark brown
chicken/mutton curry served with chapattis or rice,
There are several other dishes that are available in the Sundarban like Bhetki Paturi, Katla curry, etc.
Tourists can also enjoy sweets like langcha, rossogolla, sitabhog, joyenogorer moya, etc.
Festival
The Sundarban is rich in the folk culture. Bengali folk songs and dances are basically based on
mythology, folk tales, gods and goddesses. Some of these gods and goddesses include Goddess Bonbibi,
Shah Jangoli, Dakshin Rai, Manasa and Chand Sadagar. The famous ancient Bengali folk take
Manasamangal is based on Netidhopani where one of the three watch towers for animal sighting are
located.
Coming to festivals, the goddess Bonbibi, also known as Bandevi, Bandurga or Byaghradevi is the
goddess of the forest. The goddess banbibi s a huge part of the local people’s day to day life. Goddess
Banbibi is believed to be the protector of the forest. The locals worship her for the safety and security of
their lives from the dangers that the forests hide. The worship of the goddess banbibi is celebrated as an
important festival in the Sundarban. The festival takes place in the month of March and the tourists are
always welcome to join in the celebration in case they wish for a Sundarban tour during the spring
season. Goddess Banbibi is mostly worshipped by honey collector and wood cutters before they enter
the forest, praying for protection against tiger attacks.
Another festival celebrated by the people of Sundarban is the Rash Mela. It is a rural fair hat is held in
the month of February in the village of Jamespore. Tourists are always welcome to join in the
celebrations. In case one decides to have a Sundarban tour in the month of February, they should
definitely include a visit to Jamespore in the Sundarban tour package.
