Kolkata: The People, Kitchens and Streets of the City of Joy

The opening words of this book are ‘Ei Shohor Tomar Jonno’; Bengali for ‘This city is for you’.

And, no matter where you’re from, this holds true. The Kolkata you’ve heard of is a colourful medley of Durga Pujo pandals, phuchka, sandesh and kosha mangsho. The Kolkata you experience on a quick visit likely features those phuchkas at Bara Bazar, biryani at Arsalan, and Lobster Thermidor or Chicken à la Kiev at Trincas. All things 'quintessentially’ Kolkata; but only a mere fraction of Kolkata in real life.