Kolkata is India's sweet capital and one of its great street-food cities. Bengalis take food seriously, and every neighbourhood has its favourite shop.
Sweets (mishti)
- Rosogolla: soft cottage-cheese balls in light syrup. Bengal and Odisha both have strong traditions of this sweet.
- Sandesh: delicate sweets of fresh chhena (cottage cheese), in countless shapes and flavours. In winter, nolen gur (date-palm jaggery) sandesh is a seasonal treat.
- Mishti doi: sweetened, caramel-coloured yoghurt set in clay pots.
- Pantua and langcha: fried, syrup-soaked sweets.
- Rasmalai, chamcham and kalakand.
Street food
- Phuchka: Kolkata's version of pani puri, with tangy tamarind water and a spiced potato filling.
- Kathi rolls: paratha rolls with kebab, egg or paneer, said to have been invented in Kolkata.
- Jhalmuri: spiced puffed rice with mustard oil, onions and chillies.
- Telebhaja: assorted fritters.
- Ghugni: spiced yellow peas.
- Fish fry and kabiraji cutlet: legacies of the colonial era.
Bengali meals
Try a home-style meal with shukto (mixed vegetables), dal, fish in mustard sauce (shorshe ilish when hilsa is in season), kosha mangsho (slow-cooked mutton) and chutney, finishing with sweets.
Where to go
- North Kolkata's old neighbourhoods for traditional sweet shops.
- Park Street for colonial-era restaurants and cafés.
- College Street's Indian Coffee House for a taste of intellectual Kolkata.
Durga Puja
During Durga Puja (September or October), food stalls fill the city alongside the pandals. It is the most festive time to visit. See Festival and seasonal trips.
Tips
- Street food is best where it is busy and freshly made. See How to enjoy street food safely at home and abroad.
- Winter is the best season for nolen gur sweets.
When to go
When to go
When to go
When to go