Although hilsa is caught in India, Bengalis there prefer the hilsa from Bangladesh.
How much the people of Kolkata in particular love hilsa is shown by the fact that songs have even been written about it there.
But Bangladesh has kept hilsa exports halted for the past several years, and residents of West Bengal are disappointed at not getting the tasty Bangladeshi fish. Various efforts have begun to bring hilsa back across the border to West Bengal.
Why Kolkata loves Bangladeshi hilsa
The BBC's Rahul Tandon set out to find out why Bangladesh's hilsa is so dear to the people of Kolkata.
Sukhdev Das, a fish seller in a Kolkata market, said the best hilsa is Bangladesh's. Hilsa comes to the market from all over West Bengal, but it is quite small. He said Bangladesh has stopped exporting hilsa to India, but the fish is going to America and England.
A buyer at a Kolkata market said they miss Bangladesh's hilsa, adding that it is so tasty it goes without saying.
Kolkata residents believe the taste of Bangladeshi hilsa is different and cannot be compared with any other fish. "If any friend of ours goes to Bangladesh, we tell them to bring back at least a few hilsa," one buyer at the market said.
Source: BBC Bangla. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
Comments
(0)