Lucknow: As the beats of the dhaak reverberate through pandals and conch shells announce the arrival of Maa Durga, Bengali homes in the city turn into kitchens spreading aroma of nostalgia, tradition and togetherness. In these homes, Durga Puja is celebrated not just with prayer and ritual, but with an irresistible feast that brings alive the spirit of the festival.At a time when many in north India observe fasts during Shardiya Navratri, Bengalis bring out their ladles, light stoves and prepare to feast. For them, Durga Puja is as much about devotion as it is about food, family, memories and the joy of sharing a lovingly prepared meal.From steaming luchis (maida puri) and spicy aloo dum to kosha mangsho (dry mutton curry), shorshe illish (mustard seed gravy fish), bhetki fry (fish fry) and bhoger khichuri (vegetable khichdi) , the festive menu becomes a delicious tribute to Bengal’s culinary heritage. No Puja feast is considered complete without sweets such as narkel nadu (coconut laddoo), payesh (kheer) and darbesh (chhena sweet), each carrying the flavour of home and the warmth of tradition.For Shefali Devanshu Chowdhury of Rabindrapalli, Puja is all about eating, drinking and being merry. “In Bengal, every household prepares delicacies on all four days and invites people over. Bengalis relish non-vegetarian food, so I make kosha mangsho, shorshe illish and bhetki maach for lunch. Breakfast is luchi and aloo gobhi, while dinner calls for Kolkata-style aloo biryani, associated with Nawab Wajid Ali Shah’s arrival in the city,” she says, proudly sharing her insight.For Tanushree Bhattacharya, Durga Puja is also a time to preserve recipes that have travelled through generations. Among her Puja specialities are dhokar dalna (fried lentil cooked in spicy curry), a painstaking lentil preparation she learnt from her maternal grandmother, and pabda macher jhol (spicy fish curry) taught to her by her paternal grandmother. “These dishes are very close to my heart. I make them especially during Puja, alongside aloo posto, kosha mangsho, bhetki fry and luchi,” she says.Hailing from Ranchi, Enakshi Sinha learnt the culinary traditions of her marital home in Lucknow from her mother-in-law. Recipes such as kochi pathar jhol (mutton curry preparation), doi maach (fish curry made with yogurt), teler pitha (sweet deep-fried rice cake) and dudh pitha (sweet dumpling cooked with milk and honey) have been cherished in her in-laws’ family for seven generations. Today, she carries forward that legacy by hosting friends, relatives and neighbours during the festive days, ensuring that the old recipes continue to find a place on the dining table.For Supriya Das, from a true-blue bonedi bari (aristocratic Bengali family) of Kolkata, the Puja feast is an inheritance she has preserved for 26 years. Her festive spread includes kochu saag (various vegetable leaves preparation), khesari dal (grass pea lentil), bhapa illish (steamed fish), bhetki paturi (fish cooked in banana leaves), kosha mangsho, payesh and darbesh. After spending 12 years in Lucknow, she has also added a local flavour to her Puja menu with galouti kebabs.As Maa Durga returns home, these women keep alive a tradition in which every dish carries a memory, every invitation strengthens a bond, and every meal becomes an offering of love.
