Did the Portuguese accidentally establish the Bengali sweet tooth culture?

The Portuguese influence on Bengali sweets began nearly 500 years ago, when Portuguese settlers brought milk-curdling techniques to Bengal, inspiring confectioners to create the soft, rich sweets now synonymous with the region

Portuguese influence on Bengali sweets: The surprising story behind Bengal’s chhena revolution

Portuguese influence on Bengali sweets: How chhena transformed Bengal’s sweet tradition

Updated on:

22 Sep 2026, 3:20 am

2 min read

500 years ago, Portuguese traders and colonists settled in Bengal in places like Chittagong and Hooghly and contributed in some way to introducing various foods. It is said that the Portuguese influence on Bengali sweets is highly significant due to the technique of curdling milk to produce chhena, which is a soft, fresh cheese.

Portuguese influence on Bengali sweets: How chhena sparked a sweet revolution in Bengal

The Portuguese explorers, including Prince Henry, undertook trips from Lisbon, resulting in the linkage of Europe with the western coastline of India and Eastern commerce. Later on, the Portuguese people thrived around Hooghly.

When the Portuguese arrived in Bengal in the 16th century, they brought with them the art of curdling milk — something unheard of in India, where splitting milk was once considered impure. Curious Bengali sweet-makers took this “chhena” and began experimenting. What began as a… pic.twitter.com/Olhvp3TrqS
— Kunal Kapur (@ChefKunalKapur) September 29, 2025

Their fondness for cheese made an impact on the local markets. The Bengali confectioners copied their practice of making the milk curdle through the use of some acidic agent like lemon. The chhena was soft and had the characteristic melt-in-the-mouth nature which was not common with sweets that were made from rice, flour, jaggery, and pulses. The Portuguese influence on Bengali sweets therefore gave birth to new confectionery in Kolkata.

The Portuguese influence on Bengali sweets was particularly important because of the technique of curdling milk

Nearly 500 years ago, Portuguese traders and settlers arrived in Bengal and established communities in Chittagong, Hooghly

The sweet makers started using palm jaggery, sugarcane jaggery and refined sugar with chhena. The sandesh was prepared in various shapes and infused with flavours of local fruits and flowers like orange, jackfruit and rose. The French traveller François Bernier, who visited India during the years 1659 to 1666, mentions the fame of Bengali sweets, especially in areas occupied by Portuguese people.

The Bengali Renaissance and the emergence of a prosperous middle class in Kolkata brought about the golden period of Bengali sweets in the mid-19th century. Some of the famous sweet shops included Bhim Nag, K.C.Das, Dwarik Ghosh and Ganguram.

Sweet makers began mixing chhena with palm jaggery, sugarcane jaggery and refined sugar

The Portuguese influence on Bengali sweets gave confectioners a new ingredient and a new way to experiment

In its prime, a shop could serve up to 100-150 types of sandesh. The confectioners even invented such variations of the sweet dish as chocolate sandesh, apple sandesh, ice-cream sandesh, as well as toast, sandwich, cake, chops, and biscuit varieties of sandesh. The names of the sweets were also equally interesting, like Desh Gorob, Manoranjan, Monohara, Pranahara, Abak, Nayantara, Bagh and Abar Khabo.

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