By Faisal Ahmed

Winter is a unique gift of nature. Its sweet fruits, foods and festive mood colour our lives. A pitha made with date palm molasses on a winter morning, or a spoonful of nolen gur, brings back memories of childhood.

New date palm molasses is not just food but part of our culture. Winter in Bangladesh means the scent of date palm sap. Patali gur is made from sap collected from the trees at dawn, and in village homes, tea and pithas made with the sap delight everyone on winter mornings.

Date palm molasses is a popular tradition in Bangladesh and other parts of South Asia. Every winter new molasses is produced and marketed, and fresh molasses from the sap is in special demand in local and international markets.

Making it takes time. First the sap is collected: the trunk of the date palm is cut and an earthen pot is attached to gather the sap. The collected sap is cleaned and boiled in large pans, thickening into molasses as it cooks. Once it sets, it is poured into different shapes, such as patali gur and nolen gur.

Every year the market buzzes over new molasses. Local growers make it and supply it to local haats and bazaars, and in many cases it is also exported. The price of new molasses is a little higher at the start of winter and falls towards the end.

New molasses goes into puli pitha, bhapa pitha, chitoi pitha and dudhpuli, which are an essential part of the winter festivities. Full of different flavours and aromas, these pithas carry Bengal's heritage. Winter pitha festivals are an important part of our culture, where time with friends and family doubles the pleasure of the food.

A cup of tea or coffee on a winter morning, with the landscape wrapped in fog, dew on the grass and a cold breeze, brings peace of mind. Winter's sweet gifts are not limited to food but are a unique blend of our culture, tradition and nature, so let us enjoy this season to the full.

The writer is a poet and fiction writer.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.