Bengali cuisine

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/bengali-cuisine

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What foods are most common in Bengali cooking?Rice and fish are the main foods. Many dishes also use lentils, chicken, or mutton. Sweet treats called mishti are a popular dessert.
2. Why do Bengali dishes taste so spicy and aromatic?Mustard oil gives a sharp, slightly spicy flavor. It is also used to temper spices, releasing their aroma. The cooking style mixes sweet, sour, salty, and spicy tastes.

Staple Foods: The primary food items that form the basis of a diet, consumed regularly and in significant quantities.
Tempering (Tadka/Chhonk): A technique involving heating spices in hot oil or ghee to release their aromatic compounds before adding them to a dish.
Mishti: The Bengali term for sweets or desserts, a category for which Bengali cuisine is particularly famous.
Adda: A concept of informal, leisurely social gatherings central to Bengali culture, often involving food and conversation.