Get a taste of authentic Marwari and Sindhi cuisines at a food trail in Kolkata's Burrabazar 

“Just like the mercantile history of this area, which is probably the oldest wholesale market of the city, the food in and around here has also evolved and changed in the course of time, acquiring a unique characteristic of its own,” says Amitabha Gupta, one of the city’s renowned food and travel writers, who will conduct the food walk with a motley crowd of ten gastronomes this Sunday. 

 “The most interesting part is the discovery of the evolution of a community through signature street foods in this area, where Sindhis and Marwaris settled in late nineteenth centuries after a section of them migrated to Kolkata,” explains Amitabha.

The walk aims at taking the food lovers through a culinary journey covering one-and-a-half kilometre, that eill be sprinkled with history trivia.

Most of the food stalls and eateries dotting Burrabazar are very old with no exact record of their establishment. Bapu tea is one such renowned tea stall selling tea and other popular Marwari and Gujarati snacks. This will be followed by some Sindhi delicacies including aloo tikki (shallow fried spiced mashed potato) and mirchi pakoda (big chilli stuffed with choicest of spices) at Tiwari, another famous snacking shop in the area. The walkers will also be given a taste of the various authentic Marwari and Gujarati kachoris including piyaz kachori and small club kachodis and Gujarati burgers called Daboli at Ambika Bhujiawala.

There will be a sumptuous lunch at one of the typical Gujarati Basas (pice hotels), crowding the area, where authentic Gujarati thalis including veg dishes and papads will be served. The guests will also get to sample the famous Sindhi breakfast, Daal Pakwan and thandais. Daal Pakwan is a typical Sindhi breakfast consisting of deep friend flour fritters, which are crispy and like biscuits in texture, served with freshly cooked pulses and a chutney with a hint of tamarind. Kandoi Sweets in Burrabazar serves one of the best Pakwans..  

Those with a sweet tooth will be impressed by the Malai Roll and Rabri served at the old shop called Jadab Milk supply. The Malai roll and the rabri do not have any artificial sweetener or sugar in it, mentions Amitabha, adding that the five kilos of rabri is made by boiling the milk for nearly two hours. The Malai roll made with dry cream of milk wrapped in kheer tastes heavenly. The ghevars or disc shaped sweet cakes made with flour n sugar syrup, which are associated with peach fruit festival in Rajasthan will also be a part of the itinerary. There will also be kulfis from the famous Gopal Babu’s shop on MG Road for those with a love for ice cream.

The food trail will take place on January 13, 11 a.m. The price for each person is Rs 850