Nahid Osman has graced our television screens for many years, bringing us close to her delicious food and vibrant personality. It was extremely humbling and a great honour to have her prepare a delicious meal for our Boishakh issue, during which we learnt about her culinary journey.
“My husband and I got married when we were very young and often entertained friends at home as we could not afford to take them out to fancy restaurants,” says Nahid. This ignited a passion for cooking for her and her spouse. They went on to present Khunti Korai, a cooking show based out of Kolkata and later she went on to have her solo show produced by Dhonichitra known as Ar Ranna. “Suddenly everyone was talking about food and I felt, I had suddenly become famous,” she chuckles. This program revolutionised cooking shows in Bangladesh and expanded its reach across the nation. However, better things were yet to follow. In 2012, I presented a travel based cooking show Radhuni Ranna Ghore Bahire on Maasranga TV. This was Nahid’s brainchild; she convinced her producers that the best way to showcase the nation’s food culture was through travelling, working with the locals, understanding their customs and of course preparing their indigenous food with her signature twist on each dish. “I feel so revitalised when I travel through Bangladesh, and meet our diverse communities,” she adds. She further explains, the diversity that arises in food and cooking techniques is due to the different ethnic groups, historical and geographical circumstances, customs and religious beliefs and this helps her showcase Bangladesh as a symphony of cultures.
Secular celebration has the power to unite many diverse communities and Boishakh is the pinnacle. She continues to explain that food customs vary among different regions and its people. The indigenous communities living at Chittagong hill tracks celebrate on the 13th of April with rice wine, pitha, payesh and food cooked in banana leaf wraps.
“At Khagrachari they make a dish using one hundred and twenty five vegetables and in Rangamati, they ferment fish and fish scraps to make a paste,” adds Nahid. “Even the vegetables are different in certain regions here. There are orange eggplants and purple corn,” she further adds. The different occupations also celebrate in a diverse way. For jewellers she adds, sweets are of utmost importance. They prepare the widest spread ranging from sondesh, mishti doi, payesh and many other assortments.
Hilsha, pitha, payesh, bhorta, biriyani often take centre stage in urban cities. In rural regions some local farmers would eat panta bhath with seven types of bhorta and other dishes. Seasonal food such as raw mango, banana, flowers, banana trunk and other fruits and vegetables also make a big comeback during this season. “This spread I have made culminates some of my favourite heirloom dishes and some that I have been inspired by my travels. Enjoy cooking and celebrate diversity in our food culture,” encourages Nahid Osman.
If you are looking for the spiciest of curries, a wide assortment of fish and meat, cooked in delicious concoctions of spices, Bangladeshi cuisines will rarely disappoint you. We love our tangy sweet curries, fragrant biryanis and those unique bhortas that give Bangladeshi food that unique zing! We are always up for an adventure when it comes to experimenting with food. This Boishakh, why not try some of these delectable delights and let your tastebuds indulge and savour the taste of Bangladesh?