Best Bengali cookbooks in English
If you can't read Bengali don't let that stop you from exploring the world of Bengali food. These are some of our favourite books about Calcutta and Bengali food that are written in English.
Pumpkin Flower Fritters
This book is an excellent selection of Bengali recipes translated from the two-volume original Bengali book by Renuka Devi Choudhurani—Rakamari Amish Ranna and Rakamari Niramish Ranna.
The Calcutta Cook Book
This book is a perfect for anyone interested in the cosmopolitan history of Calcutta's food. It is divided into chapters each dedicated to a community that has defined Calcutta's foodscape. It has recipes, of course, which are equally great.
Bengali Cooking: Seasons & Festivals
Another gem from Chitrita Banerjee which is much more than a recipe book. This looks at the food customs in West Bengal and East Bengal (now Bangladesh) and how it follows seasons and festivals.
Bangla Ranna: The Bengal Cookbook
Bangla Ranna: The Bengal Cookbook was one of the first books on Bengali recipes written in English that had detailed instructions for someone just getting started with Bengali cooking. It is one of our faovurites. Minakshie Das Gupta also happens to be the mother of Rakhi Purnima Dasgupta, who owns the famous Bengali restaurant Kewpie's in Calcutta.
The Calcutta Kitchen
This is a fun book on Calcutta's diverse cuisine with dependable recipes and beautiful pictures by Simon Parkes.
Oh! Calcutta: Cookbook
Written by Anjan Chatterjee himself, this book captures some of the signature recipes from the Oh! Calcutta restaurant kitchens.