That was, perhaps, the way a Bengali family, long-settled in north India, paid its tribute to the weather. A day before the festival, they would take turns in grating about a kilogram of our favourite winter vegetable. Years later, we had a taste of the staple Bengali delicacy, the patishapta, on the day of the festival, courtesy my mother’s favourite kitchen lieutenant. It was occasioned by the rediscovery of the one-time cornerstone of the family kitchen, the bonthi. A long-time probashi in Delhi had rediscovered the cuisine of her ancestors, thanks to a recent migrant to the city.

Source: Indian Express January 20, 2019 00:31 UTC