As the saying goes, Bengalis are made of fish and rice, and if the fish is hilsa, nothing more needs saying. Food-loving Bengalis wait all year for the silver hilsa, and the very name makes their mouths water.

The monsoon has not properly begun in West Bengal yet, but hilsa are already being caught in fishermen's nets in the state at the start of the season. Silver hilsa have recently been seen at Kakdwip, Digha, Namkhana and Diamond Harbour, and hilsa are now available in several retail markets in West Bengal, including Kolkata.

Until a few days ago hilsa were beyond the reach of the middle class, as quantities were small and prices high. After a two-month fishing ban, West Bengal's fishermen went out to the deep sea from 15 June, and the much-awaited hilsa soon appeared in their nets.

Though the quantities are small, large hilsa are being caught. In retail markets, hilsa of 300-400 grams sell for Rs 550-650, 500-gram fish for Rs 800-900, and 1 kg fish for Rs 1,200-1,300.

In some Kolkata markets, however, somewhat larger hilsa are being sold as Bangladeshi hilsa. These fish, a little over 1 kg, are selling for Rs 1,500-1,600.

A retail fish seller at the railway market in Birati, a suburb near Kolkata, said: "We have hilsa from both Bangladesh and India here. Demand is fine. The quantity is low, so the price is a bit high." Fish traders say prices may fall as more hilsa reach the market.

Jagannath Sarkar, secretary of the fish wholesalers' association, said: "Hilsa are coming up in the nets at the start of the season. The quantity is low, but the fish are quite big, because fishing was closed for two months. We hope more hilsa will be caught this year than in other years."

Food-loving Bengali buyers are naturally happy to find hilsa in retail markets so early. Sabita Das, who came to buy hilsa at Birati market, said: "Being Bengali means having a special weakness for hilsa. But when I came to buy, I found the price quite high. If it falls, it will be within reach. The price will be a strain, but I will take hilsa home for the whole family at the start of the season."

The hilsa found in Kolkata and other West Bengal markets through the year all come from Myanmar. Hilsa also come from Bangladesh to West Bengal for the Puja, and these are kept in cold storage and sold in retail markets. Many are happy to find the king of fish in retail markets at the start of the season, and the silver hilsa is putting smiles on food-loving Bengalis' faces.

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