GODDESS COMES HOME

For Bengalis everywhere, autumn is synonymous with Durga Puja, a five-day festival dedicated to goddess

Durga. West Bengal, Odisha, and Assam celebrate the occasion with much pomp and gusto, and of course, a lot of food. Khichuri, a soft-cooked dish of rice and lentils, made fragrant with ghee, is served as bhog—food blessed by the gods. In the evenings, revelers scour the streets, tucking into local snacks. There’s the famous puchka, a Bengali version of pani puri, and kathi rolls, made of flaky bread stuffed with meat, potato, and egg. Fried street snacks abound—from singharas, the Bengali samosa stuffed with potatoes and peas, to a range of chops, crumb-fried delights with vegetable, fish, or meat stuffing. The classic combination of fluffy puris and rich mutton curry—luchi mangsho—is also a much-loved festive meal. No Bengali festival is complete without sweets, and there’s a wide range to choose from—roshogolla, sandesh, mishti doi and more.