TheBongfOOdie: Ilish Maach( Hilsa)

Bengali culture thrives on the ilish (hilsa) fish and it's a culinary delight in this part of the east. Be it smoked ilish,baked ilish,steamed ilish or mixed up with spices ,the hilsa fish is an actual delight for the bengali appetite.

People in bengal are not only fond of this fish in terms of its taste but it has a rich cultural elegance too.

Though the fish is extremely costly due to its irregular spawning periods ,but then it is a great culinary spread on your platter and can be cooked in a numerous combinations of spices and flavours.

Each year a large number of fish are caught in the PADMA - JAMUNA delta, which flows into the Bay of Bengal . It is a sea fish but it lay eggs in large rivers. After being born the young Ilish (known as Jatka) then swim back to the sea. They are caught before they swim to the sea. Ilish is also caught from the sea. However, those caught from the sea are not considered to be as tasty as those caught from the river. The fish is full of tiny bones which require trained eating/hands to handle.

Culinary delights made from this tropical fish include: ---

shorshe ilish( steamed with mustard)
bhapa ilish( smoked with mustard and chillies)
ilish er paturi(smoked in banana plantain with the add-on of spices)
ilish maacher jhol(the usual curry)
doi ilish (cooked in a gravy of curd/cream)
jeera ilish (cooked with fried cumin powder/seeds)

The blend of exotica is seemingly delightful in such proportions that almost every Bong can go ga-ga over a piece of ilish maach.In Bengal ,certain parts do organize the "Hilsa Festival" in which the culinary taste blends with rich and subtle exotica and drives your taste-buds to a whole new level.The eggs of ilish maach can be cooked to make an extremely tasty caviar and is a traditional delight too.

No wonder food does go all over the places and its time people experiment and blend cultures over food and tradition.