Mishti Kolkata : On a sweet note!

Roshogolla khabe? A question asked to every Bengali. 

As a true blue Bengali, the thing I miss the most from home (KOLKATA) are the never-ending variety of sweets that the City Of Joy has to offer in every by-lane, street corner or even the busiest spots in town, the culture of eating sweets in Bengal is quite unmatchable as it's more than just feeding our appetite but, a customary ritual to soothe our tastebuds while we feed our souls with all that goodness. 

It's a very old saying that, "You're what you eat". The people of Kolkata seemed to have taken this theory very seriously. With an immense intake of sweets on a regular basis along with all their meals during the day, it can only make the people more delightful, welcoming and pleasing just like a spread of your favourite sweets on one large silver plate.

Probably it's the constant rendezvous with the irresistible 'mishtis' that lead to Bengali being called the sweetest language. In case you're wondering what 'mishti' is, it's the Bengali synonym of 'sweet'.

With the intense love story between a Bengali and their sweets one shall not forget to acknowledge the two flag bearers of this beautiful unison. One is shown above, undoubtedly the ROSHOGOLLA being the undisputed champion of all bengali sweets but, it humbly shares the number one spot with the most cliched dessert for any Bengali meal, which is the MISHTI DOI (shown below), the sweetened curd which is traditionally served in an earthen pot and it's just pure edible joy served in a small clay pot.

As a child I have witnessed the desperation and urgency of enjoying a piece of 'sondesh' post lunch or dinner. In the 1990s, I have seen my father and uncles taking out their motorcycles during odd hours of Sunday afternoons, when even the shopkeepers draw the shutters down to enjoy a lazy afternoon nap or, when they clean their shops during closing hour at night, in those moments I have seen my father and uncles knocking on their gates, waking them up or, humbly requesting them to pack them one last box before closing their day. 

This old lady, one can see the expression on her face and witness the passion we have for our sweets.

What might seem like an unhealthy choice, impractical or let's just say utter madness to other people, is basically a NORMAL act of love for us Bengalis. Love for everything that is sweet & maybe this also makes us one of the sweetest population one can come across.  

- Spandan Sen.