AN OVERVIEW OF THE MONTH-LONG ‘THE LOCAL CULINARY HERITAGE OF BANGLADESH 2023’ THAT BROUGHT THE DIVERSE AND TASTY LOCAL FOOD SCENE TO THE FOREFRONT
Imagine a place or event where you can taste and enjoy a plethora of abundant local food and meals in a luxurious and noble environment. In addition, you can experience the walk through of local bazaars, traditional music and a chance to win air tickets to enjoy a holiday with your loved ones in Cox’s Bazar!
Yes, all these were made possible this October at ‘The Local Culinary Heritage of Bangladesh 2023’ food festival hosted at Dhaka Regency Hotel & Resorts from 05 October 2023 to 30 October 2023. As its name implies, the festival showcased authentic local delicacies from all divisions of the nation, bringing Bangladesh into the culinary limelight for local and overseas guests alike.
This month-long event’s buffet dinner took place inside the Grandiose Restaurant, one of the largest, 5-star restaurants in the capital, popular for its international buffets served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Additionally, the A la carte menu also offers a gourmet delight to the guest and food lovers.
The event was inaugurated with a grand opening on the 5th of October 2023 evening through cake cutting in the presence of distinguished guests. The opening day was graced by Kabir Reza, Managing Director; Shahid Hamid FIH, Executive Director from Dhaka Regency and other distinguished delegates.
SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 2007, DHAKA REGENCY HAS BEEN SETTING LIFESTYLE TRENDS IN DHAKA WITH NUMEROUS STAND OUT FOOD FESTIVALS AND TOURISM TRADE-FORWARDING EVENTS THAT DEMONSTRATE AND HIGHLIGHT THE ESSENCE OF CULINARY HERITAGES OF NOT ONLY BANGLADESH BUT OTHER ASIAN COUNTRIES AS WELL.
The festival featured delicacies from all over Bangladesh on each of the 25 days of its occurrence, delving deeper into the inner food culture of each division of the country. The items were prepared with only locally sourced ingredients to ensure the foreign and urban guests can thoroughly enjoy the most authentic culinary experience that Bangladeshi food heritage has to offer.
The guests thoroughly enjoyed the authentic local foods and edible items that reflected our culinary heritage like the biryani cooked inside bamboo stalks, choijhal gosht, shatkora chicken, koi paturi as well as vegetarian items such as dal with drumstick shoots, bamboo shoot curry, laukhatta, shabji labra and many more. Even when it came to desserts, the festival featured unique and rather uncommon, yet delicious dishes focusing on traditional cakes. On top of these, popular Iftar-items like Halim and jalebis were among the mix to offer mouthwatering intakes.
At the entrance, guests and invitees experienced a multitude of local vegetables and fruits, placed in rows to bring out the real greenery of Bangladesh. Fuchka, chotpoti, juices, and other popular street food, evening snacks were served at the entrance to the guests, delighting them with a feel of casual hangouts in a rather lavish and polished place. An instrumental music at the entrance also complemented the buffer dinner each day, amplifying the magnificence of the event. The icing on the cake of the festival was to focus on a different culinary theme each day that featured the authentic delicacies of a specific division of Bangladesh.
The buffet dinner was served to the esteemed attendees between 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm each evening at the hotel’s signature dining outlet Grandiose Restaurant. Though priced at BDT 4999 net per person, selective card holders and Fan of Dhaka Regency and Dhaka Regency Premier Club members enjoyed the BUY ONE GET ONE FREE offer.
Since its inception in 2007, Dhaka Regency has been setting lifestyle trends in Dhaka with numerous stand out food festivals and tourism trade-forwarding events that demonstrate and highlight the essence of culinary heritages of not only Bangladesh but other Asian countries as well. ‘The Local Culinary Heritage of Bangladesh 2023’ is another successful feather in the cap that promoted the rich and diverse food heritage of Bangladesh through offering varieties of delicacies to people from multiple nations.
Photograph: Courtesy of Dhaka Regency Hotel