| Food Habits
The Bengali is predominantly a rice eater. All but the very devout
Hindus eat fish as a principal item of their food. He has a sweet tooth
and everyone who can afford them enjoys sweet meats made with milk casein
(chhan) of which a large variety have been evolved. Another essential
item is dal (pulses) which supplements their protein requirements. A large
assortment of vegetables and seasonal fruits completes the dietary. Bengalis
prefer to other beverages, the habit of taking sweetened tea has a spread
to there remotest villages. Chewing of pan laced with lime, Kattha and
arecanut is universal., so is the smoking of tobacco, either plain in
the form of bidi or mixed with treacle and spices for the hookah. Cigarette
smoking has been spreading to rural areas but is still something of a
symbol . Drinking of palm juice today and home made alcoholic brews is
largely confined to industrial labour and the tribal population. |
