Culture & Cuisine
Culture
Bangladesh has a rich cultural heritage. This region has been ruled by many Kings and Sultans and over the course of time they have left their mark in the culture and in the form of monuments and structures. A number of great old archeological sites are situated in Bangladesh. The literature of Bangladesh has been made powerful by great poets including the national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Michael Madhusudan Dutta among others. Another powerful side of Bangla culture is the Folk songs. Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country and 98% of the people speak in Bangla. People of all religion live in harmony in Bangladesh. Most men in the country wear ‘lungi’ and most women wear Saree. But in the urban areas, people wear western clothes these days. It is recommended for any country that 25% of the total land should be forest land. But Bangladesh has only 17% forest land. These lands are monitored by the Forest Department. These forests include hill forests and mangrove forests. Bangladesh has the biggest mangrove forest in the world named “Sundarbans”. Cuisine of Bangladesh The people of Bangladesh are known as “Mach-e Bhaat-e Bangali”, which literally means that the Bangladeshi people are ‘made’ of rice and fish. Figuratively, this is true for a major part of the population for whom rice and fish are a common meal. Most Bangladeshi people eat three meals a day. Usually the routine goes – bread (the traditional roti or paratha) with eggs for breakfast; rice, vegetable, pulses and fish/meat for lunch, and then the same for dinner. At times, or for special occasions, they have Khichuri, Biriyani for their lunch or dinner. Fish: Bangladesh is covered with hundreds of rivers, canals and ponds. The entire southern side of Bangladesh opens to the Bay of Bengal. This gives a good stock of fish to the people of Bangladesh, available any season. The geographic structure of Bangladesh thus reflects the eating habits of the people. People of every age are fond of fish and it can be seen as a part of their meal every day, or at least every other day. Ilish, or the Hilsha fish, is a specialty of Bangladesh. It is an exceedingly appetizing fish loved by almost everyone in the country. There are also some other popular fishes as well, namely Rui, Katla, Boyal, Pangash, Taki, Bhetki and others which are also found in abundance in the rivers and ponds. Bangladeshis prefer to eat fish by frying, boiling, marinating and in curry form. All the types of fish available in Bangladesh provide a good amount of protein in the daily diet of the people. Rice: Rice is a vital part of the food habits of Bangladesh. Almost the total population eats boiled rice for both lunch and dinner. In rural areas, people eat fermented rice for breakfast as well. People often eat Khichuri, Tehari or Biriyani, which are different recipes of rice. Meat: Even though fish is the most popular side dish with rice in Bangladesh, meat is also extremely popular. Items of chicken, beef and mutton is extremely popular in Bangladesh and served with plain or otherwise cooked rice. Meat is usually cooked as a curry, but also fried, roasted, mixed with biriyani, or cooked as kebabs. Since Bangladesh is a Muslim country, pork is not available much. Vegetables: Vegetables are also served as a side dish with rice. Potato, eggplant, beans, okra, pea, cauliflower, cabbage and other vegetables are very common in Bangladesh. Vegetables are usually fried, boiled and mashed. Traditional salad of cucumber, tomato and carrots is also served for lunch or dinner. Desserts: Bangladesh has some unique and very tasty desserts in its cuisine. Most of these sweetmeats are made from dairy based and extremely sweet. Sweet yoghurt and various kinds of sweetmeat, namely Roshogolla, Roshmalai, Kachagolla, Gilapee, are some of the most loved desserts of the country. Unique Snacks: There are various unique snacks and junk-food that one will only find in Bangladesh. These mouthwatering snacks can be found in almost all the sidewalks of the country. People of all ages love Chotpoti, Fuchka, Jhalmuri and many other delicious snacks found all over Bangladesh. |
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