Bengali Hilsa Bhaat and Sindhi Pallo Chawal — where cuisines and cultures collide It’s not just their love for the fish that makes Bengalis and Sindhi

[El Sidd]

Bangladeshi.

When did you become Bangladeshi?

 

[saif]

When did you become Bangladeshi?

When did you become Bangladeshi?

Let me finish our discussion by saying ethnically we are Bengalis but as per our nationality we are Bangladeshis.

 

[El Sidd]

Let me finish our discussion by saying ethnically we are Bengalis but as per our nationality we are Bangladeshis.

Bengali is an ethnicity? I thought it was a linguistic group.

 

[Bilal9]

Bengali is an ethnicity? I thought it was a linguistic group.

Doesn't have to be an either-or proposition. It is both.

Bengalis are the third largest ethnic group, after the Han-Chinese and the Arabs. And they all speak Bangla.

Bengalis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[saif]

Doesn't have to be an either-or proposition. It is both.

Bengalis are the third largest ethnic group, after the Han-Chinese and the Arabs.

Bengalis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

More power to wikipedia

 

[Al-zakir]

Hilsha would have been a good fish if it had no million bones.

Fish is good but meat is better.

 

[saif]

Hilsha would have been a good fish if it had no million bones.

Fish is good but meat is better.

Hilsha fish rules

 

[Al-zakir]

Hilsha fish rules

Oh yeah, then why fish is not served on special occasions?

 

[Bilal9]

Hilsha would have been a good fish if it had no million bones.

Fish is good but meat is better.

Roopchanda (Silver Pomfret) marine fish does not have a lot of Bones either. Properly fried makes a great meal. You can separate the bones easily even after frying. The two halves of the body lengthwise and the main bones come off easy.

Crispy fish. Jazakallah Khairan.

 

[Bilal9]

Oh yeah, then why fish is not served on special occasions?

Fish generally is not considered "Shahi Khana" in Bangladeshi culture - that honor is reserved for Beef or Mutton prepared Mughlai style. Babarchees also specialize in those types of dishes, artery clogging Paya, Kalia, Bhuna, Rezala, Jhaal Faraizee, you name it.

Top it off with some Shahi Tukra dessert and your artery clogging is complete! Lipitor and Crestor Zindabad!

No one serves chicken or fish in weddings or special occasions (that I know of) in Bangladesh.

People don't expect it and if they see it, it's a rather sad disappointment.

 

[saif]

Oh yeah, then why fish is not served on special occasions?

Because 1 Hilsa costs Tk. 2000

 

[El Sidd]

Doesn't have to be an either-or proposition. It is both.

Bengalis are the third largest ethnic group, after the Han-Chinese and the Arabs. And they all speak Bangla.

Bengalis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Wikipedia is a better source than asking a Bangladeshi on PDF?

 

[Bilal9]

Wikipedia is a better source than asking a Bangladeshi on PDF?

Wikipedia gets its information about Bangladesh and Bangladeshis from informed Bangladeshis.

 

[El Sidd]

Wikipedia gets its information about Bangladesh and Bangladeshis from informed Bangladeshis.

Do you mean to say that a Pan-Bangla movement can be on the cards given the proposed definition of Bengalis?

 

[Bilal9]

Do you mean to say that a Pan-Bangla movement can be on the cards given the proposed definition of Bengalis?

No.

Bengalis have a lot in common culture-wise and culinary practice-wise. But there are underlying political and religious dynamics divisions that are too strong and divisive between East Bengal and West Bengal (India).

There is a lot of suspicion and to some degree, treachery that took place around the time of the Pakistan movement. Bengal was going to be a separate multi-religious state, but that did not happen due to opposition by Hindu leaders in West Bengal who feared there was going to be a Muslim majority who were going to dominate that state (under leadership of people like Suhrawardy, Sher-e-Bangla, Nawabs of Dhaka etc.).

This state was going to encompass the seven sisters in North East India and even Chattisgarh and Orissa (Odisha). Huge resources.

It is what it is I guess. Those same Bengali Hindu leaders eventually went on to form the Hindu Mahasabha, which was the forerunner of today's RSS, BJP and the Indian leader, Modi.

We can open a separate thread for it, long history.