<p>Food anywhere around the world is not complete without sweets, and then there are cuisines which are known for their desserts especially. In India, that distinction belongs to Bengal where there are probably as many varieties in desserts as preparations in vegetarian food. In a tribute to the Bengali’s insatiable sweet tooth, you will find many sweet shops located in each gali and mohalla of Kolkata, invariably called ‘Annapoorna Mishtan Bhandar.’<br /><br /></p>.<p>But then, as with all good things, good sweets also cannot be contained in one state or region and are bound to find favour in other parts of the world as well. Similarly, Bengali sweets have traversed all the distance from Bengal and become very popular in Delhi of late. These days, you will find a number of sweet shops in the Capital, all claiming to specialise in Bengali sweets, and invariably being called ‘Annapoorna Mishtan Bhandar.’<br /><br />The most popular among them, of course, is Bengali Sweet House located in the heart of Delhi, Gole Market. This shop has been offering mouth-watering Bengali sweetmeats for the past 77 years. It was started by one Lala Bhim Sain and is now run by his son Umesh Agarwal. Umesh says, “I have seen Bengali sweets grow on Delhiites. A city which once thought of only rabri, jalebi and gulab jamun as sweets loves the Bengali rosogulla, sandesh, cham cham and mishti doi now.”<br /><br />“Our range of sweets has expanded manifold thanks to the Bengali invasion. Now you have a Bengali sweetmeat for every occasion and every person – varying from those who like its dripping chashni (sugar syrup) to those who want it mildly sweet. That gives options to diabetics as well.”<br /><br />One of the biggest sweet shops in Chittaranjan Park, yes you guessed the name right, Annapurna Sweet House, introduces a different set of sweets in winters. Manager Benoy Majumdar says, “In Bengal, sugarcane jaggery is used to make a variety of sweets. But in winters, we also get date palm jaggery which makes for a luscious sweet too. So we make nolen guder rosogolla, shondesh, kacha golla, kheer kadam and many such delicacies. They are a big hit.”<br /><br />Many such sweet shops acknowledge a growing list of clientele from the non-Bengali community too. Ratan Jana of Yummi Kolkataa in CR Park, says, “We actually get more non-Bengali customers than Bengalis. The reason, we think, is that Bengali sweets are made of chhaana (cottage cheese) while most north Indian sweets are made of khoya (thickened milk). Chhaana is difficult to adulterate while khoya is massively mixed with substandard and chemical ingredients.”<br /><br />“So smart Delhiites are preferring Bengali sweetmeats over north Indian ones.”</p>
<p>Food anywhere around the world is not complete without sweets, and then there are cuisines which are known for their desserts especially. In India, that distinction belongs to Bengal where there are probably as many varieties in desserts as preparations in vegetarian food. In a tribute to the Bengali’s insatiable sweet tooth, you will find many sweet shops located in each gali and mohalla of Kolkata, invariably called ‘Annapoorna Mishtan Bhandar.’<br /><br /></p>.<p>But then, as with all good things, good sweets also cannot be contained in one state or region and are bound to find favour in other parts of the world as well. Similarly, Bengali sweets have traversed all the distance from Bengal and become very popular in Delhi of late. These days, you will find a number of sweet shops in the Capital, all claiming to specialise in Bengali sweets, and invariably being called ‘Annapoorna Mishtan Bhandar.’<br /><br />The most popular among them, of course, is Bengali Sweet House located in the heart of Delhi, Gole Market. This shop has been offering mouth-watering Bengali sweetmeats for the past 77 years. It was started by one Lala Bhim Sain and is now run by his son Umesh Agarwal. Umesh says, “I have seen Bengali sweets grow on Delhiites. A city which once thought of only rabri, jalebi and gulab jamun as sweets loves the Bengali rosogulla, sandesh, cham cham and mishti doi now.”<br /><br />“Our range of sweets has expanded manifold thanks to the Bengali invasion. Now you have a Bengali sweetmeat for every occasion and every person – varying from those who like its dripping chashni (sugar syrup) to those who want it mildly sweet. That gives options to diabetics as well.”<br /><br />One of the biggest sweet shops in Chittaranjan Park, yes you guessed the name right, Annapurna Sweet House, introduces a different set of sweets in winters. Manager Benoy Majumdar says, “In Bengal, sugarcane jaggery is used to make a variety of sweets. But in winters, we also get date palm jaggery which makes for a luscious sweet too. So we make nolen guder rosogolla, shondesh, kacha golla, kheer kadam and many such delicacies. They are a big hit.”<br /><br />Many such sweet shops acknowledge a growing list of clientele from the non-Bengali community too. Ratan Jana of Yummi Kolkataa in CR Park, says, “We actually get more non-Bengali customers than Bengalis. The reason, we think, is that Bengali sweets are made of chhaana (cottage cheese) while most north Indian sweets are made of khoya (thickened milk). Chhaana is difficult to adulterate while khoya is massively mixed with substandard and chemical ingredients.”<br /><br />“So smart Delhiites are preferring Bengali sweetmeats over north Indian ones.”</p>
