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> Chatterjee’s wife belongs to an East Bengal family – he, on the other hand, is a ghoti (from West Bengal), and he acknowledges the superior cooking of the eas
by chimeracoder 9y ago
> Chatterjee’s wife belongs to an East Bengal family – he, on the other hand, is a ghoti (from West Bengal), and he acknowledges the superior cooking of the eastern lot.
In my entire life, I have never seen an authentic traditional Bengali restaurant in the US - either West Bengal or East Bengali cuisine (excluding Bangladeshi, which is more like Punjabi food[0]). I am told there is a single one in the Bay Area about an hour and a half from San Francisco, but I have not been able to visit it.
This isn't just the US - I'm in London now, where one only just recently opened up, and I'm dying to try it - but it's still the first in a city full of Indian and Bengali people.
It's really sad, because both West Bengal and East Bengali have dramatically different but wonderful (in their own ways) cuisines, but there's no way for people to experience either one short of befriending a Bengali person and being invited to dinner at their place.
Restaurants are already very risky and unprofitable businesses, so I doubt it would be a successful venture for someone to introduce an Indian cuisine to the Western market that's not what people expect (Punjabi or South Indian), but I really wish it existed.
[0] The terminology here is admittedly confusing, but "Bangladeshi" is different from "East Bengali" in this context, even though the eastern part of Bengal is now Bangladesh. The reasons behind this terminology go back to the first partition of Bengal in 1905.
- dman 9y agoDont think Bengali cuisine is alone here. I am yet to eat a meal in the US that resembles an authentic meal eaten in the Delhi / Meerut belt.
- chimeracoder 9y ago> Dont think Bengali cuisine is alone here. Oh, absolutely not. Almost every Indian restaurant is either Punjabi or generic South Indian food (e.g. dosas), whatever they market themselves as. Bengali cuisine just happens to be what I know and love myself.
- shyn3 9y agoCome to Toronto. We have it all.
- dman 9y agoAny recommendations?
- shyn3 9y agoIn terms of Bengali food? I can't speak to it too much, I had it once and it was good. It was East End Toronto -- Danforth/Victoria Park area, it's called Little Bangladesh. There were 3-4 restaurants. The rest of Toronto has a pocket for any ethnically diverse food. You name it, we have it, and it's similar to the locals. Somalian check. Indian check. Afghani check. Middle Eastern.. you name it. Korean.... There is a pocket in Toronto for each culture. "Little Portugal, Little Italy, Greektown, Little Bangladesh..." so on and so forth.
- chimeracoder 9y ago> In terms of Bengali food? I can't speak to it too much, I had it once and it was good. It was East End Toronto -- Danforth/Victoria Park area, it's called Little Bangladesh As mentioned above, Bangladeshi food is different from traditional (West) Bengali food[0]. So what you ate there was probably Bangladeshi food, which is much more similar to Punjabi food. Bengali food is an entirely different cuisine; there's very little overlap. [0] or even traditional East Bengali food.
- moron4hire 9y agoWell, what really is "authentic" food? Of all the German restaurants I've been to (and it's been a lot), the only constant seems to be a vague focus on sausage. The best--and I contend, most "authentic"--German meal I've ever had is still in a small restaurant in Hagerstown, Maryland, and that includes having toured all over Germany itself.
- toomanybeersies 9y agoFrom all the Germans I've met, spaghetti Bolognese is the most authentic German meal you can have.
- dukoid 9y agoThe meat makes the fact that the sauce is different from this one bearable: http://www.germandeli.com/Miracoli-Spaghetti-w-Tomato-Sauce-and-Spices http://www.germandeli.com/Miracoli-Spaghetti-w-Tomato-Sauce-... :)