Bangladeshi cuisine is rich and varied with the use of many spices. We have delicious and appetizing food, snacks and sweets.

Boiled rice is our staple food. It is served with a variety of vegetables, curry, lentil soups, fish and meat. Fish is the main source of protein. Fish are now cultivated in ponds. Also we have fresh-water fish in the lakes and rivers. More than 40 types of fish are common. Some of them are carp, rui, katla, magur (catfish), chingri (prawn or shrimp). Shutki or dried fish are popular. Hilsha is very popular among the people of Bangladesh.

Panta ilish is a traditional platter of Panta bhat. It is steamed rice soaked in water and served with a fried hilsha slice, often together with dried fish, pickles, lentil soup, green chilies and onion. It is a popular dish on the Pohela Boishakh.

The people of Bangladesh are very fond of sweets. Almost all Bangladeshi women prepare some traditional sweets. Pitha, a type of sweets made from rice flour, sugar, syrup, molasses and sometimes milk, is a traditional food loved by the entire population. During winter Pitha Utsab, meaning pitha festival, is organized by different groups of people.

Sweets are distributed among close relatives when there is good news like births, weddings, promotions, etc.

Sweets of Bangladesh are mostly milk-based. The common ones are roshgolla, sandesh, rasamalai, gulap jamun, kalo jamun and chom-chom. There are hundreds of different varieties of sweet preparations. Sweets are therefore an important part of the day-to-day life of Bangladeshi people.

Bangla Translation: বাংলাদেশি খাবার মশলাযুক্ত, সমৃদ্ধ ও বৈচিত্র্যময়। আমাদের রয়েছে সুস্বাদু ও রুচিকর খাবার, নাস্তা এবং মিষ্টান্ন।

সিদ্ধ ভাত আমাদের প্রধান খাবার। এটি বিভিন্ন ধরনের সবজি, তরকারি, ডাল, মাছ এবং মাংসের সাথে পরিবেশন করা হয়। মাছ আমাদের প্রধান প্রোটিনের উৎস। বর্তমানে পুকুরে মাছ চাষ করা হচ্ছে। এছাড়াও আমাদের লেক ও নদীতে প্রচুর মিঠা পানির মাছ পাওয়া যায়। বাংলাদেশে ৪০টিরও বেশি প্রজাতির মাছ সাধারণত দেখা যায়। এর মধ্যে কার্প, রুই, কাতলা, মাগুর (ক্যাটফিশ), চিংড়ি (প্রন বা শ্রিম্প) উল্লেখযোগ্য। শুঁটকি মাছও জনপ্রিয়। ইলিশ মাছ বাংলাদেশিদের মধ্যে অত্যন্ত জনপ্রিয়।

পান্তা ইলিশ একটি ঐতিহ্যবাহী খাবার। এটি পানিতে ভিজিয়ে রাখা ভাত, যা ভাজা ইলিশ মাছের টুকরোর সাথে পরিবেশন করা হয়। পাশাপাশি শুঁটকি মাছ, আচার, ডাল, কাঁচা মরিচ ও পেঁয়াজও পরিবেশিত হয়। এটি বিশেষত পহেলা বৈশাখের একটি জনপ্রিয় খাবার।

বাংলাদেশের মানুষ মিষ্টি খাবার খুবই পছন্দ করে। প্রায় সব বাংলাদেশি নারীই কিছু না কিছু ঐতিহ্যবাহী মিষ্টান্ন তৈরি করে থাকেন। পিঠা, যা চালের গুঁড়ো, চিনি, সিরা, গুড় এবং কখনও কখনও দুধ দিয়ে তৈরি করা হয়, তা সমগ্র জনগোষ্ঠীর কাছে অত্যন্ত প্রিয় একটি খাবার। শীতকালে বিভিন্ন সংগঠন ও গ্রুপ পিঠা উৎসবের আয়োজন করে।

ভালো সংবাদ যেমন জন্ম, বিয়ে, পদোন্নতি ইত্যাদির সময় আত্মীয়–স্বজনদের মধ্যে মিষ্টি বিতরণ করা হয়।

বাংলাদেশের বেশিরভাগ মিষ্টান্ন দুধ থেকে তৈরি হয়। সাধারণত রসগোল্লা, সন্দেশ, রসমালাই, গুলাব জামুন, কালো জামুন এবং চমচম বেশ জনপ্রিয়। এছাড়াও, শত শত ধরনের মিষ্টির প্রস্তুতি রয়েছে। তাই মিষ্টান্ন বাংলাদেশিদের দৈনন্দিন জীবনের একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ অংশ।

A. Choose the best answer from the alternatives:

1. Bangladeshi cuisine is __ and varied with the use of many spices.
   (i) dull (ii) bland (iii) rich (iv) simple
2. Boiled __ is the staple food of Bangladesh.
   (i) wheat (ii) maize (iii) rice (iv) barley
3. Fish is the main source of __ for the people of Bangladesh.
   (i) carbohydrates (ii) protein (iii) fat (iv) vitamins
4. Fish are now cultivated in __.
   (i) deserts (ii) mountains (iii) ponds (iv) roads
5. More than __ types of fish are common in Bangladesh.
   (i) 10 (ii) 20 (iii) 30 (iv) 40
6. Shutki refers to __ fish.
   (i) fresh (ii) frozen (iii) dried (iv) raw
7. The most popular fish among Bangladeshis is __.
   (i) katla (ii) magur (iii) hilsha (iv) chingri
8. Panta ilish is a traditional dish served on __.
   (i) Eid (ii) Pohela Boishakh (iii) Durga Puja (iv) Christmas
9. Panta bhat is __ rice soaked in water.
   (i) steamed (ii) fried (iii) raw (iv) burnt
10. Panta ilish is served with fried __.
    (i) chicken (ii) hilsha (iii) beef (iv) mutton
11. Which of the following is not a common ingredient of Panta ilish?
    (i) dried fish (ii) pickles (iii) lentil soup (iv) chocolate
12. Bangladeshi people are very fond of __.
    (i) sweets (ii) fast food (iii) salad (iv) pasta
13. Most Bangladeshi women prepare __ sweets.
    (i) imported (ii) traditional (iii) foreign (iv) artificial
14. Pitha is made mainly from __.
    (i) wheat flour (ii) rice flour (iii) corn flour (iv) chickpea flour
15. Pitha festival is organized during __.
    (i) summer (ii) monsoon (iii) winter (iv) spring
16. The word “Pitha Utsab” means __.
    (i) birthday party (ii) rice festival (iii) sweet festival (iv) fish fair
17. Sweets are distributed among relatives during __.
    (i) sad events (ii) special occasions (iii) school exams (iv) regular meals
18. Most sweets in Bangladesh are made from __.
    (i) flour (ii) water (iii) milk (iv) oil
19. Roshgolla is a type of __.
    (i) vegetable (ii) sweet (iii) fish (iv) curry
20. Sandesh is a __ item.
    (i) spicy (ii) sour (iii) sweet (iv) bitter
21. Rasamalai is soaked in __.
    (i) oil (ii) milk (iii) syrup (iv) water
22. Which of the following is not a Bangladeshi sweet?
    (i) gulab jamun (ii) kalo jamun (iii) cheesecake (iv) chom-chom
23. The total number of sweet varieties in Bangladesh is in the __.
    (i) tens (ii) hundreds (iii) thousands (iv) millions
24. The common fish found in Bangladesh include __.
    (i) tuna (ii) carp (iii) salmon (iv) sardine
25. Chingri is another name for __.
    (i) crab (ii) prawn (iii) lobster (iv) shark
26. Hilsha fish is mainly found in __.
    (i) forests (ii) ponds (iii) rivers (iv) markets
27. Panta bhat is typically served with __.
    (i) ice cream (ii) dried fish (iii) pizza (iv) noodles
28. Pitha is a traditional __ of Bangladesh.
    (i) snack (ii) main course (iii) drink (iv) soup
29. The main ingredient of chom-chom is __.
    (i) flour (ii) cheese (iii) milk (iv) rice
30. Pitha is often made using __.
    (i) lentils (ii) salt (iii) rice flour (iv) eggs
31. The main ingredient of gulab jamun is __.
    (i) potatoes (ii) milk solids (iii) coconut (iv) carrots
32. Pitha is usually eaten during __.
    (i) summer (ii) monsoon (iii) winter (iv) autumn
33. Rasamalai is made from __.
    (i) flour (ii) cheese (iii) rice (iv) milk
34. A popular fish curry in Bangladesh is made using __.
    (i) hilsha (ii) salmon (iii) tuna (iv) squid
35. Hilsha fish is also called __.
    (i) salmon (ii) king fish (iii) ilish (iv) catfish
36. Which of the following is not a Bangladeshi traditional food?
    (i) panta bhat (ii) biryani (iii) sushi (iv) hilsha curry
37. The traditional food of Pohela Boishakh is __.
    (i) biryani (ii) khichuri (iii) panta ilish (iv) fried chicken
38. Bangladesh is famous for its __ cuisine.
    (i) spicy (ii) sweet (iii) bland (iv) sour
39. The festival that celebrates traditional sweets is called __.
    (i) Boi Mela (ii) Pitha Utsab (iii) Shakrain (iv) Nobanno
40. Lentil soup is commonly known as __ in Bangladesh.
    (i) dal (ii) shorba (iii) shira (iv) bharta
41. The most commonly eaten food in Bangladesh is __.
    (i) bread (ii) rice (iii) noodles (iv) pasta
42. Carp is a type of __.
    (i) vegetable (ii) fish (iii) sweet (iv) meat
43. Magur fish is also known as __.
    (i) shrimp (ii) catfish (iii) hilsha (iv) tuna
44. Sweets are usually shared during __.
    (i) sad events (ii) celebrations (iii) mourning (iv) funerals
45. Milk-based sweets are commonly found in __.
    (i) Thailand (ii) Bangladesh (iii) Japan (iv) America
46. Which of the following is a famous Bangladeshi dessert?
    (i) sandesh (ii) tiramisu (iii) doughnut (iv) pancake
47. Which of these is not made from milk?
    (i) rasamalai (ii) chom-chom (iii) roshgolla (iv) biryani
48. The major component of hilsha fish curry is __.
    (i) chicken (ii) prawn (iii) hilsha (iv) beef
49. __ is an essential part of Bangladeshi culture.
    (i) Fast food (ii) Traditional cuisine (iii) Junk food (iv) Packaged meals

 B. Answer the following questions.

1. What makes Bangladeshi cuisine rich and varied?
2. What are the main components of Bangladeshi meals?
3. What is the staple food of Bangladesh?
4. What is usually served with boiled rice?
5. What is the main source of protein for Bangladeshis?
6. What types of fish are commonly found in Bangladesh?
7. What is shutki?
8. What is the most popular fish in Bangladesh?
9. What is panta ilish?
10. What ingredients are usually served with panta bhat?
11. What is the significance of Pohela Boishakh in Bangladeshi cuisine?
12. What do Bangladeshi people enjoy eating the most?
13. What do Bangladeshi women traditionally prepare?
14. What is pitha made from?
15. What is a pitha festival called in Bangla?
16. What are some common occasions when sweets are distributed?
17. What is the main ingredient in most Bangladeshi sweets?
18. What are some of the most popular sweets in Bangladesh?
19. What is the texture of roshgolla?
20. What makes chom-chom different from other sweets?
21. Where is fish cultivated in Bangladesh?
22. Where can fresh-water fish be found in Bangladesh?
23. Where is panta ilish commonly eaten?
24. Where do people organize pitha festivals?
25. When do people usually eat pitha?
26. When do Bangladeshis distribute sweets?
27. When is panta ilish especially popular?
28. Why is fish an important part of Bangladeshi cuisine?
29. Why do Bangladeshis love sweets?
30. Why is Bangladeshi cuisine considered diverse?