In Kolkata winters has always been the time of fairs, picnics, good food and creative shopping. My favourite memory of winter is shopping with my mother at Kolkata Handicrafts Fairs, Kolkata International Trade Fairs. Not only did we get great products at great prices, but there were also many interesting food.
There were pickles, almost 50 varieties and you always got to taste them before buying. My favourite was red chilli and garlic. For those who lacked the love of spice, took home eggplant, bamboo and jack fruit. The sweet lovers always had the sweetest of all pickles. The buying was more than comforting to watch, The blissful union between sour and sweet increased the love between opposites.
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| jar of pickles |
Apart from pickles there were chips. Chips made of every vegetable under the sun: potatoes, carrots, onions, green chillis, radish, sweet potato, eggplant etc. Among fruits there were bananas and apple and lets not forget the favourite animal all over world - chicken. Innovative options were chips made like alphabets, macaroni, screws and small nuggets of lentils.
Food can also be tricky during this time of the year. You can be easily fooled if you are not careful.
Look at the below dishes, they look so lovely, so delicious, spicy but they are made from mud. Its Food Art at its best.
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| spicy Bengali fish curry made from clay |
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| everything you see here starting from the fish, eggs and curry dishes are made from clay. |
and what better way to end your food cravings than Paan, The guy in the
paan stall served sweet
paan, with over 50 varieties of filling. For a royal touch you can also add edible silver to your
paan. The juicy delectable combination explodes in your mouth with a gust of freshness. It not only acts as a refreshment but also works on your digestion. I am not a big fan of
paan, but I loved the sweet
paan.
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| the many fillings of the sweet paan |
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| paan - just before serving |
