Category: Food

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”

Beautiful Heritage Homestay in Takdah

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Beverages & Drinks, Food, Hills & Valleys, India13 Comments

Takdah is a small hill station in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India. It is surrounded by lush green tea gardens, pine forests and orchids. The place was once a British cantonment area and thus has a number of old British bungalows. You can enjoy the scenic views of the Himalayas, breathe in the fresh mountain air and experience the local culture and cuisine. A homestay at Takdah will give you a chance to live with a host family and learn about their traditions and lifestyle. We fell in love with the place Takdah and the Rose Villa heritage homestay. I would like to extend my thanks and gratitude to the Lama family, who owns the Rose Villa for making our stay so memorable. We would love to visit again.

Halawet El-Jibn: A Delectable Arabic Dessert

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Desserts & Sweets, Iraq14 Comments

The New Year has to start with some sweets for round-the-year sweet experiences. Halawet el-jibn is made from rolls of soft, sweet semolina and cheese dough that gets stuffed with clotted cream and crowned with pistachios. A drizzle of syrup puts the final seal of perfection. The origin of halawat el-jibn dish is not clear. Some recipes for this dessert give credit to Homs in Syria as its birthplace.

Rugda: An Exotic Delicacy of Jharkhand

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Exotic food, India12 Comments

Jharkhand is the land of forests and forest tribes, so it’s no surprise the state’s cuisine is strongly influenced by the local ingredients of its forests — edible green leaves or saag, flowers, fruit, tubers, mushrooms, and truffles. Rugda is a truffle indigenous to Jharkhand. The rare truffle grows by itself only in the dense Sal (Shorea robusta) forests in Jharkhand. Rich in nutritional value, Rugda has much higher protein content than mushroom and has no carbohydrates.

Sayadieh: A Lebanese Rice and Fish Dish

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Food, Lebanon11 Comments

Sayadieh is a traditional Lebanese dish that consists of rice and fish cooked with cumin and other spices. It is a delicious and hearty meal that can be made with different types of white fish, such as cod, snapper or halibut. The rice is cooked in a flavorful fish stock and topped with caramelized onions and toasted nuts. Sayadieh is usually served with a lemony tahini sauce on the side for extra zing.

Ajam Emba: Great Taste & Healthy Food

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Folk art & culture, Food13 Comments

Slow food is the food that is produced or prepared in accordance with local culinary traditions, typically using high-quality locally sourced ingredients. Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve sustainable foods, traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming …

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Om Ali — bread pudding of Arab world

Umm Ali: Dessert Born in Blood

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Desserts & Sweets12 Comments

Recently, I attended an Iftar party at a luxury hotel in Baghdad. After I finished the food, I found a nice, sweet dessert there, called Om Ali — a simple concoction: bread and pastry are combined with raisins, pistachios, coconut and almonds, then drenched in sweetened milk. It’s not the story of a royal chef preparing an innovative dish at the behest of a discerning king, but of a murder and a rather cruel one!