Bongelicious: The Bong Queen of Monsoon

Posting about Bengali food in the recent past,it has really tempted me to go into more details about the food of Bengal. Talking about Bengali food, the first thing that comes into the mind of a common Bengali, is "Bhapa Eilish" or "Shorshe Eilish". A tropical fish, most popular among the Bengalis and even the national fish of Bangladesh is the Eilish or Hilsa fish. The Padma-Meghna-Jamuna delta flowing into the Bay of Bengal provides a huge quantum of Hilsa each year. The Hilsa, caught in the rivers are considered to be more tasty than those of the seas. Varieties of preparation of Eilish are popular all over Bengal and even in the riverine plains. It can be smoked, fried or even baked in plantain leaves and prepared in mustard seed paste. Being reputed round the globe the Hilsa is even popular in North America, it is substituted by the Shad fish at times, subject to non-availabilty.

Hilsa fish harbours a lot of cultural value in Bengal. In many hindu families offering two Hilsa fishes during holy occasions is considered to be a custom. This custom is mostly predominant among the Bengali Hindus of former East Bengal. Monsoon and Eilish are two synonyms for Bengal. Monsoon spells its magic on us and we get hooked onto "Eilish macher paturi". Rich in Omega 3 fatty acid, the Hilsa fish is best harvested in the monsoon. Subject to the recent irregularity in the climatic conditions and over pollution in the rivers the production of Hilsa has been fluctuating in the recent times. Many families of Bengal who are not so well-to-do spends their monsoon without their favourite fish as prices soar to Rs. 1000 per kg due to sharp decline in the daily catch in both Hooghly and Narmada.Various workshops and the fisheries are being elucidated with the knowledge of better monitoring of Hilsa fish supply to reduce the price hike in the future.

With the first drop of rain the Hilsa arrives in each and every house in Bengal. The Hilsa even carries a good economic value in the market as they are very pricy than other fishes but at same time they are sold in huge numbers. Hilsa which actually is a very oily fish possesses approximately 273 kcals of energy. Because of its nutritional value it is also prescribed by the doctors during certain health ailments.

It is also considered to be holy in certain associations. For example, The very famous famous East Bengal football Club that was established in 1920, considers the Hilsa to be a holy icon for the club. Even during the Bengali New Year, when the jewellery shops unfold their new register for the year, offers sweets in the shape of Hilsa to their customers, as it is considered to be auspicious since ages.

The Hilsa stands tall in the long list of priorities in the everyday life of a Bengali. You should shell out those few hundred rupees for what is the best fish you could ever have. Ask the numerous Dadas and Didis, who desperately rush to the fish market despite the monsoon hoping to earn their share of the Queen of Bengal's monsoon. Hereby I conclude.