Odommo Chattagram
<i>Feast of flavours ends </i>
Babul Jaldas and his troupe play drums at a three-day musical show, "Ananda Sandhya", which began on DC Hill premises in the port city yesterday. The Daily Star organised the programme as part of the ongoing Odommo Chattagram festival. Photo: STAR
The aroma of a myriad Chittagong dishes wafted down Chittagong MA Aziz Gymnasium for the last time yesterday with the end of the three-day food festival. Organised as part of The Daily Star's “Odommo Chattagram” festival, the food fiesta brought forth foodies from around the country to sample mouth watering and sumptuous dishes prepared by Chittagong's finest food connoisseurs. Chittagong Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CWCCI) coordinated the gastronomic festival which contained 40 stalls presenting local flavours of the Chittagong food heaven, including “Mezban” meat curry, dry fish, “pithas” (cakes) and drinks. Keeping up with the dishes were the crowds who appeared in their hundreds to soak up the feast of flavours. “It was a wonderful day for me. I loved the Isa Kabab, which is shrimp cooked in bamboo shoots, in the stall Bongo Roshona. It was incredible,” Usha, a Chittagong University student. “Bongo Roshona” owner Ivy Hasan, a fashion designer cum passionate cook, said “Isa Kabab” is a part of the indigenous cookery. They had several more dishes to offer like “Kura Kabab” (chicken in bamboo) and “Momo” (rice mixed with shrimp, chicken and dry fish). Not to be outdone, “Meridian” and “Well Park” served their specials, “Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls” and “Irani Kabab”. “The Irani Kabab tastes like no other grilled meat I had before. It was unique,” said Asma, a university student. “Dhaba” presented cooked rice soaked in yogurt as “Doi Panta Baat”. The side dishes consisted six varieties of “Bhartas” (mashed-spiced vegetables), topped by “Doi Fuska”, a crispy snack made of yogurt and chick peas. Dishes showcased by “Well Park”, “Sabina's Kitchen”, “Karu Shoili”, “Hotel Agrabad” and “Food Mart” focused on fast food, mostly chicken and beef, to match the faster pace of city lifestyle. “Aparupa Caterers” displayed the many forms of dry fishes at present available in the country. Visitors found the taste of edible mushrooms in unique forms, as in pickles, jellies, coffees, soups and a sweetened dessert “Faluda”. Two brothers, Abu Saleh and Sahid Md Ali, of Chittagong's Patiya upazila, came up with the recipes in their stall, “Meem Mushroom Zone”. The stall “Chatgaia Khana” offered “Mezban meat” with rice bread and different types of “pithas” as dessert to go along, including “Gurapitha”, made of palm fruit and milk. The variation of “pithas” unfolded at the booths of “Shaadi Events”, “Ad Home Service” and “Fashion Max”. Guests savoured around 18 types of “pithas” made from an assortment of ingredients like rice, milk, palm fruit, coconut and molasses. They came in striking shapes, colours and names like “Puli”, “Pakon”, “Taal”, “Golap”, “Pata”, “Maas”, “Chitoi” and “Moira”. “The Naru (balls of sweetened coconut grains) in the Hot & Cool booth was amazing,” said a college student, Razib. Visitors with a sweet tooth also found solace in the hot “Jilapis”, a coiled dessert filled with syrup, in the “Seetara Food” booth. “Zebu's Rannaghar” unveiled several handmade sauces made from unique items, like green mangoes and carrots alongside pickles of various fruits and vegetables. Nearly all the stallholders kept juices made from fruits such as watermelons, oranges and green mangoes and from yogurt to quench the thirst of visitors in the mid-day heat. “We aimed at highlighting the culinary traditions of Chittagong. It was great to hear so many people comment on the fantastic crowd and stalls,” said CWCCI Director Mahmuda Hadi. Ruhi Mostafa, owner of “Essential Catering and Handicraft”, said, “We had a fantastic festival. Not only was it a local festival, but it was one of the best organised events we ever attended.”
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments