The Food Talk celebrating Bangladeshi cuisine: 50 years of evolution

In Bangladesh, food is about celebration, and as we rekindle our patriotism and celebrate the Golden Jubilee of our victory, we also take this opportunity to reflect on how we have evolved as a country of a culinary point of view.

With that notion, The Food Talk, a ranked Facebook group brimming with food lovers, restaurateurs, home cooks and more, celebrated a food festival titled “Bangladeshi Food: 50 years of evolution” on December 18, at Precious Pies in Dhaka.

“On the occasion of our 50th year of victory, we organized a food fair to recognize the evolution of food over the decades. Food is not static, it has an origin but is constantly evolving, and through the various stalls here today, we describe it, ”said Taskin Rahman, Founder of The Food Talk.

Although the fair was held on a limited scale, the handful of stalls offered a unique and interesting range of food. The brands present were Basic Kneads, Infused by Saimon, Dhaka Metro, Boma Burger, Sweet Freeze, Kavazo, Picnic, Live Eats and Precious Pies. Highlighting the evolution of food, fusion food was the theme.

Domachha, who is popularly known for serving regional specialties, offered a star of his usual menu with a Bangladeshi fish pie, made with layers of local fish, white sauce, mashed potatoes, local cheese and breadcrumbs – a perfect blend of East and West. The Love Triangle Shingaras were a crowd-pleaser who enveloped fusion cuisine at its best with unusual yet delicious flavors such as naga, chicken cheese and cheeseburger.

“Fusion food is all about taking local flavors and combining them with different techniques while keeping the original essence intact,” said Amani Mulk, owner of Sweet Freeze. This is really reflected in their ice cream offerings with flavors such as borhani, kashundi pineapple and milk tea. While on one side local tea was brewed to flavor the ice cream, on the other, Precious Pies served Malai coffee to warm the soul.

The event covered everything from traditional to modern cuisine, so you can grab a burger from Boma Burger or enjoy kebabs from Dhaka Metro. Kavazo added a festive vibe to the event with its tempting blend of decadent desserts, including logs and several new items added to the menu. Holesome also donated two assorted dessert boxes with Christmas essence.

Basic Kneads launched three new items during the event, but their French milk bread shahi tukra dipped in a milky concoction and topped with saffron cream stole the show. Another popular choice among people was the spicy duck kalabhuna paired with the mouth-melted pitha chitoi from Infused by Saimon.

“At Dumplings of Fury we offer classic dumplings and also add fusion elements that are not limited to local but also global flavors,” said Saqueeb Mirza, co-founder of Picnic, mentioning their line of dumplings that include seared naga, kalabhuna, mushroom paneer and shrimp with Philly cheese.

Besides the open atmosphere, amazing decor and great food what made the event enjoyable was the crowd of foodies and food lovers under one roof giving them the opportunity to explore new tastes, network with like-minded people and experience the best of locally made fusion cuisine.

Photo: Pranto Khan / The Gastronomic Conference