Sirajganj, a district of the Rajshahi division situated in the historic Varendra region, has a rich and unique food culture.
The diet of the people here includes an abundance of freshwater fish, as the mighty river Jamuna flows through this district.
The region is also home to rich and delicious sweets such as yoghurt (mishti doi), pera sandesh, pantua, and many more.
The abundance of grazing fields makes this region the best producer of milk products that tell the history of its rich culture. Apart from the sweet dishes, there are a variety of savoury delicacies from this region that have a special place in the hearts of people.
Pithuli
Pithuli is probably the most famous and loved dish of the people of Sirajganj. Traditionally, pithuli is a beef curry cooked with rice flour. This delicacy is a must in any traditional ceremonies in Sirajganj, Kazipur, Jamalpur and some other places.
Big pots of beef are slowly cooked with the rice flour batter for hours until the chunks of beef pieces are soft. This dish is served with steamed rice.
In a traditional setting, especially during large gatherings like a pithuli festival, food is typically served on banana leaves. Pithuli and steamed rice are often accompanied by a sour condiment that has a soup-like consistency, made from both ripe and unripe tamarind.
Jhaler pitha
Pitha is the heart of Bengali cuisine. But this extravagant jhaler pitha from Sirajganj is kind of different because of its size and cooking technique. The better pitha is made by mixing rice flour, ground garam masala, and other spices like cumin and coriander powder. Ginger and garlic paste are also added to the mixture. Sometimes, shredded beef is also added to the mixture.
The pitha batter is then placed in a clay pot and cooked on fire for long hours until the pitha resembles cornbread. Although recipes differ in different households, Jhaler pitha is greatly loved by the people of northern Bangladesh.
Pantua
Pantua is a signature sweet of Sirajganj. It is to be said that around a 100 years ago, a sweet maker named Ganesh Modak of the village of Enayetpur came up with the recipe for pantua.
The ingredients used in this sweet have to be very fresh. After collecting the milk, chana (cottage cheese) is prepared. Refined through various processes, the mound of chana is used to make sweets that are slightly taller in shape.
Then they are fried in pure ghee and soaked in flavourful sugar syrup. With a nice aroma and rich taste, pantua is a treat for everyone with a sweet tooth.
