What an amazingly rich and varied menu.
1 Like
Back in Kolkata. I know we’re in 2026 (I had put 2025 in this thread title) but I don’t think I need to have a separate 2026 thread for this trip, as I’m not here for very long.
My phone is already pushing articles based on my location and interests! Biryani from Arsalan is on the cards. This Dada Boudi place sounds great but I wasn’t impressed with the photo of the biryani from Hanglatherium.
8 Likes
Very much looking forward to your culinary adventures! 
1 Like
3 Likes
The thing about returning to the same place is the mundane sort of stuff like you know the guava seller will always be on the same street corner with his basket. My dad had been sent to get me a couple of guavas yesterday - my mum wasn’t happy with the ones he brought back even though I thought they were perfectly fine (I like ripe ones, whereas the majority of Indians seem to prefer the harder less ripe ones). Today my mum and I had to run some errands, so we took the opportunity to stop by the guava seller and check out his wares. The good-natured interaction in Bengali went something along the lines of:
My mum: “Hey, those guavas you palmed off to her dad yesterday were rubbish.”
Guava man: “Well, I tried to warn him off those particular ones but he insisted, what could I do?”
I was looking at the few ripe ones he had and shortlisted some - he advised that this one which doesn’t look like much will actually be sweet. I said I would be willing to take another one bruised by the pickers’ fingers, but didn’t want to pay full price for it. He also closely questioned me about when I planned to eat each one (so he could advise on the degree of ripeness). We finally settled on 4 - including one unripe one for my mum. His final price was 115 rupees which he magnanimously waved down to 100 “Because of the rubbish ones from yesterday.” My mum seemed happy. As we walked away I said to my mum I thought that was quite expensive for guavas (just an observation - it was only 80 pence equivalent and I don’t mind being mildly fleeced by street vendors). My mum retorted that it is not the season for guavas, so of course they’ll be expensive and he can also see I’m visiting from abroad.
Our haul (minus the unripe one which was immediately put in the refrigerator to prevent it from ripening):
11 Likes
After running errands we stopped at the food court of the local mall.
Glad we forgot to pack our guns and ammo. Just kidding.
There is only one place in this whole area that has a bean-to-cup coffee machine (a fairly ancient-looking model)- a tiny non-descript stall in this mall food court that isn’t even a coffee shop. Manned by one very sweet young girl who looked positively panicked when I asked for the coffee menu. It turns out they only offer Americanos, cappuccinos or cold coffee (Indian-style, which means very sweet and milky, sort of like a watered down coffee milkshake). I asked for an Americano and had to reassure the girl that I did want it without milk and sugar. She offered artificial sweetener, asking if I had diabetes and was nonplussed when I declined that as well.
Anyway - a very good Americano for the princely sum of 83 rupees (about 70 pence).
My mum doesn’t drink coffee and went to another stall to order a favourite snack.
I’d never heard of Langos before, and find it slightly strange that I’m first coming across this Hungarian snack at a nondescript run down mall in Kolkata. My mum ordered the veggie one for 99 rupees.
Came with small packs of chilli flakes and oregano which we didn’t use. The little pizza-like cheesy flatbread was pretty good for the price.
10 Likes
Loved the guava story, medg.
3 Likes
Yes, you spun a good guava tale!
2 Likes
Aah, the universal challenge of guava ripeness 
Everyone in my family who eats guava / peru likes them at various degrees of hard / unripe (with the usual chilli/salt mix on the side for dipping) except one. It’s always a game to make sure they get eaten before they become inedible to the first group but too many for the second 
Are these green or pink?
(I found completely unseasonal tadgola / ice apples at an insane price when I was in India recently. Still bought them and enjoyed them, because when I am I going to get them next 
.)
1 Like
Creamy white flesh when ripe.
I wonder how they get these unseasonal fruits as street vendors? It’s not like they’re importing them?
Enjoy your visit!
I tried Làngos in Sauble Beach, Ontario the summer before last. My mom didn’t like them but I did! LOL. Too heavy and too greasy for her, but that could be a skill issue.
The place we visited used Làngos as the flatbread in some sandwiches.
Schnitzel in a Làngos, at Laszlo’s at Sauble Beach.
I think traditionally, Hungarians tend to eat freshly fried Làngos with sour cream.
more on Làngos
1 Like
Plenty of fruit is imported now (and often cheaper than local courtesy subsidies from those places – eg American oranges vs Nagpur, grapes, apples, and more. Also almonds – which many people won’t buy in spite of much cheaper pricing because they consider them inferior in quality to the alternative.)
Also re unseasonal availability: global warming.`
1 Like
I love bakarkhani - Bengali friends returning from Dhaka would always get a carton or two for me - and I’d finish off a whole carton in a day or two! I really like the salty-sweet version.
1 Like
I was on a quest for dhokla - a Gujarati snack of a light steamed chickpea flour cake. The neighbourhood I’m in is not blessed with vendors of Gujarati farsan. My best bet was to try a Bengali sweet shop that stocks it. Unfortunately, I went too early - their daily order of dhokla hadn’t arrived from their supplier.
The array of sweets:
Soft desserts, including the traditional Bengali ‘mishti doi’ (sweet set yogurt in an earthen pot).
But also a ‘Western’ offering of ‘mud pie’
And a special ‘wintertime creation’ of a ‘Gur (date palm molasses) soufflé cup’.
Two other entire display cases of a mixture of traditional and nouvelle Bengali sweets.
Some savoury snacks and a few ‘non-Bengali’ sweets.
I picked a few savouries to take home.
8 Likes
Back to the guava guy. He was happy for me to take some photos.
In action. My mum’s hand in the frame clearly signalling she doesn’t want that one:
A close up of some of his wares, the few ripe guavas grouped off to the right of the basket lined with banana leaves. He has a selection of other fruit, including green grapes, star fruit, jamrul, safeda and kul (don’t know the English names for the last 3!). And some random tiny cucumbers!
In a more relaxed mood after completing the sale:
8 Likes
Wow, never seen White Wax Apples before. Must keep a eye out and give one a try.
Ok, so jamrul are wax apples in English! Some vendors have pink/red ones available now but I think those are imported from other Asian countries. The white ones are the ones I have always seen in eastern India.
In Malaysia & Singapore, it’s called rose apple in English - the dominant colors of the species we get here are predominantly red, ranging from ruby to pink!
2 Likes
