A Recipe for Taro Root Fritters from Pre-Partitioned Bengal
Srilagna Majumdar family recipes are rooted in historical context, a time before the brutal partition of Bengal. These recipes tell the story of migration, of East Bengali recipes in West Bengal (read the other story here). Here, she shares a recipe for crunchy fritters made of taro root.
Food is synonymous with home. The smell of a dish your grandmother would make when you were a child can transport you, awaken emotions you didn’t know were buried. For me, some aromas are entwined with memories of a faraway home, in the shadow of mango groves.
After the Partition of India in 1947, few who left their ancestral homes could revist the memories on the other side of the Radcliffe Line. Uprooted from our native lands, forced to resettle in a foreign country amidst riots, hostility and political calamities, the Bangaals clung to their food in the hope of retaining some part of their identity. Living over generations in the broad deltaic plain of Bangladesh, nestled in lush green landscapes, tropical vegetation, and abundant marine life, much of their culinary culture was lost post-Partition due to the unavailability of ingredients.
The Bangaal dishes were characterised by greater use of coconut, chillies, and coriander leaves. The women of Jhinaidah and Bikrampur were well known for their culinary prowess. Even after she moved to Calcutta, my great-grandmother was able to preserve her culinary traditions and pass on that knowledge to my grandmother. Although my mother is a Ghoti, her hand at traditional East Bengali dishes is impeccable. This is her recipe for kochur bora or taro root fritters.
RECIPE FOR KOCHUR BORA
Ingredients
250 g taro root
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
3 green chillies
Method
Chop and grind the fresh taro root.
Mix it with salt to taste, cumin seeds, finely chopped green chillies and sprinkle some poppy seeds towards the end of the grinding process.
Make small balls out of the mixture and deep fry in mustard oil.
Serve with steamed rice and ghee.
Originally from Kolkata, Srilagna Majumdar is a Hyderabad-based archivist, curator, and cultural history practitioner. She works in the fields of public history, community outreach and art. Follow her on Instagram or Facebook
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