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When a group of people gathered at ‘Dinajpurer Uddoktaborgo’ stall, out of curiosity it was seen that ‘Moong Dal Poppadom’ was being fried there. Many visitors crowded the stall to eat it at Tk 10. Even the saleswoman can’t get away with them.
Dinajpurer Uddoktaborgo director Sampa Das Mou said that several districts from all over the country have brought their traditional food at Bangladesh Food Festival. “We are here with our Moong Dal Poppadom, one kind of traditional food item of Dinajpur district. We are getting good response from the visitors.”
Another food stall Ching’s Kitchen from hill tract was selling Mundi, a traditional Marma dish in Bandarban. People from the plain land gathered in front of the stall to have the taste of hill food.
A thin salty-sour soup with thin noodles and pungent aroma of coriander leaves. Some students who came in a group were seen gulping down food and making noises due to its pungent flavour.
Cho, one of the owners of that stall, said that they came from Bandarban Marma community. Mundi is one of the traditional Marma foods there. It is usually eaten by local people as a snack in the evening. “We make a dessert with jaggery and coconut. It is very refreshing.”
Another dish is Balachaw. It is made with dried prawns and spices. If anyone doesn’t want to eat, it works to increase taste, especially for those who like hot spices, he said. The three-day Mujib’s Bangladesh Food Festival started on May 4 in Dhaka’s Banani field with arrangements to taste the food of five-star hotels and traditional local foods. It remains open from 11 am to 11 pm.
The festival has been organised by Bangladesh Tourism Board and the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism. It has set a special brand titled “Mujib’s Bangladesh” to honour Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
This is an attempt to promote this country as a great tourism destination with vibrant and rich culture and heritage.
According to the organisers, all the delicious and famous dishes of different regions of Bangladesh are presented at this event. About 43 famous food stalls are taking part in this fair with Haji Biryani, Dhakai Bakarkhani, Cumilla’s Rasmalai, Bogura’s Curd, Satkhira’s Para Sandesh, Khulna’s Chui Jhal, Bagerhat’s Prawn, Kushtia’s Kulfi.
The fair venue was decorated with lighting at Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Park next to the main road of Banani. The aroma of fried meat filled the area. Anyone can detect smell after he/she enters the fair venue. Many people were walking around and eating foods. Some were busy taking picture of food and taking selfies. Some people were sitting on a table with biryani while some were eating chit ruti with duck meat.
On the other hand, people were also visiting 5-star hotels’ stalls and tasted their food also. They had made their menus with Bengali food.
Shakawath Hossain, chief executive officer (CEO) of Unique Hotel & Resorts PLC, said that they have brought traditional dishes from Westin and Sheraton Dhaka. There are Phuchka, Khichudi, Bharta, Rice bread, Liver, Beef, Pickles, ice gola and juice made with jaggery.
He also said that traditional foods of Bangladesh should be displayed in this fair to be branded in such a way that these foods are not lost in the future because food is an important factor for the tourism sector. When tourists come to our country, they will show interest to eat these foods. Such fairs will play a vital role in this regard.
Many people like a cup of tea after taking meal. And Raja Tea Stall has arranged the stall in a royal manner.
Raja Tea owner Azhar Uddin Raja said that he used to work at a hotel in Dubai. But when he returned to Bangladesh, he has no work. Then he started selling tea with a van at the airport station. Now he has 18 tea shops in Bangladesh.
“There are different types of tea in my stall. Raja Special Tea is popular which is made with cashew, wood and pistachio nuts and saffron. Its price is Tk 50. The fair is also getting good response,” he said.
Inaugurating the festival on Thursday, Speaker of Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury said, “Bangladesh is famous for its regionally diverse cuisines and is known internationally. So, they have to be protected from extinction through branding.”
“Bangladesh must preserve regional recipes so that the dishes are not lost in time. Food is an important segment in every country’s tourism industry. Other countries have some signature dishes, and we also have some too. These food items are part of our heritage. I think these dishes will come into the spotlight through this festival,” she added.
Addressing the event as a special guest, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali said, “This food festival will play an important role in flourishing the tourism industry.”
