Process and Product

 

conclusion

 After I gathered all my ingredients and did as much "outside" or "primitive" cooking as was feasible and as as needed to immerse myself within the struggle, I finished the rest in my kitchen to finalize the two opposing meals; one representing the struggles and hardships of a tragic past (khichuri with fish curry) and one representing modern privilege/ease (lamb curry). 

By preparing a classic Bangladeshi dish the "old way", as in from scratch, by hand, and using available resources in times of hardship, I felt a stronger connection with those who originally made it under far more different circumstances. Spending half a day catching my n fish, cooking without modern tools, and measuring by feel, and picking my own rice and vegetables gave me a feeling of drudgery, patience, and carefulness that went into every move. It also taught me how convenience would at times rob food of its taste, and actually its significance.

As for the lamb curry, it was faster and tidier, but it lacked emotional weight. It was healthy and fulfilling, but it wasn't a tribute or a journey. It was that difference that answered my simple question: The actual process of cooking food in traditional methods offers a deeper, more empathetic understanding of the history, struggle, and meaning behind it.

Culinary History and the Art of Secrete Cooking

    The cuisine of Bangladesh is derived from its geography, culture, and history of constant battle where inspiration and influence carried over from the Mughal and Bengal empires. Staples like rice, lentils (dal), and curried meats with vegetables, mostly fish, dominate the cuisine of the Bengalis. Shutki (fermented fish), panta bhat (fermented rice soaked in water), hilsa curry, beef rezala, and other bhartas (mashed vegetables or fish in mustard oil with green chilies) are some more cornerstones of the country's culinary heritage, more so in rural Bangladesh where creativity and resourcefulness during physically, politically, and economically trying times were the foundations for innovative dishes and culinary practices.

    With war ravaging the nation, millions were displaced and found themselves in refugee camps or secluded areas with little or no access to cooking facilities or ingredients. Shortage, hunger, and displacement meant that the population largely subsisted on boiled rice, wild roots, wild leaves, dried fish, or flattened rice (chira) soaked in water. Preparation was done with the highest level of care not to draw unnecessary attention, often over small fires or in makeshift shelters. Refugees who fled to India had equally dire food conditions, living off plain rations like rice gruel, bread, and lentils, rationed in escape camps.

Methods and daily Struggles

    People would need to slip out at dawn or after dark to forage for food. Villagers scanned the forests or parched rice fields for wild greens like kolmi shaag (spinach), thankuni (herb for food and/or medicine), water spinach, edible roots, or leftover stalks. Others took risks by going into abandoned farmlands, risking stepping on a mine, in the hope of picking unharvested rice, some lentils remaining in sacks, or hidden stores of shutki (dried fish) buried underground before they fled. Sometimes small children were sent in groups, since they would be less noticeable to soldiers. Even obtaining water had to be done covertly, under the cover of trees or from shallow wells in hidden places.

    Meals were drastically simplified with so little to prepare. Earth stoves built into the ground were utilized, with dry leaves, twigs, or cow dung cakes burned for fuel. Those fires were low and smokeless to avoid detection. In Indian camps, refugees cooked beneath tarpaulin sheets or alongside muddy streams, where rations were boiled into bland khichuri (rice and lentil mash) or rice gruel. Now and then, a single egg or piece of dried fish was shared between several to flavor a pot of watery rice. Cooking was usually carried out at odd hours not just to stay hidden, but also because it was cooler and less risky.

    Preparing some panta bhat, or combining mustard oil and green chili with boiled mashed potatoes, permitted a level of normalcy and cultural identity to be preserved in the midst of chaos. Women, especially, were the ones who took on the task of trying to keep their families fed and emotionally grounded, even as they mourned loss or cowered in fear.

    The ways individuals obtained and prepared food during the genocide testify not only to their victimhood, but also to their extraordinary resilience and resourcefulness. 

Bangladesh Brief History

Now that I have an end goal in mind consisting of learning about the overall history of Bangladesh, and more importantly, the cultural significance of culinary traditions interconnected throughout the travesties of the country’s past, I can begin with the basic research.

I will be examining recipes that evolved in Bangladesh during or around the 1971 Liberation War, a time of ultimate hardship, displacement, and survival. I would like to know what individuals ate when they were struggling for survival, how were they cooking food when they were low on resources/ingredients, and what can these dishes and their preparations tell us today?

Bangladesh, once East Pakistan, separated from its suppression after a civil war and a genocidal massacre in 1971. Amidst destruction, displacement, and trauma, culinary traditions were still building and keeping spirits high during troubled times. Food was a survival strategy, a resistance form, and even in some instances, the one connection that individuals had to their home and culture. Even in war-torn zones and refugee camps, people found ways to cook rice-based dishes like khichuri with whatever ingredients were at hand. These dishes defined the oppressed individuals of Bangladesh.

Brief History:

    I will begin my recording of Bangladesh history from the mid 1700’s when the British seized control of the Bengal Empire, which consisted of parts of modern day India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. In 1757, the British East India Company defeated Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah of the empire, marking the start of British rule. This loss cost the empire to have their wealth drained leading to social disruption and the famine of 1770 in which millions died off. Some years later, western education began to spread allowing for movements of reform and nationalism.

    Fast forward to the early 1900’s, in 1905, the British divided the Bengal Empire into a predominantly Islamic Eastern state and a predominantly Hindu Western state. However, large protests and disagreements to this formation led to its eventual annulment in 1911. After gaining independence after the war against British rule, British India was divided into India and Pakistan in 1947. East Bengal became part of Pakistan (renamed East Pakistan), while West Bengal remained in India. West Pakistan, now Pakistan, dominated politics over what was then the Bengal state, and attempted to impose the Urdu language over the Bangla language (East Pakistan’s mother tongue, which is modern day Bangladesh). During what became known as the language movement of 1952 or International Mother Language Day, protestors who were protesting the West’s demands and oppressions were killed by the police--a symbol of resistance. Since those times, East Pakistan faced discrimination in resource allocation, political representation, and military presence.

  

    Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, leader of the oldest standing political party of Bangladesh, the Awami League, became a key figure demanding autonomy. In the 1970 general election, the Awami league won a majority, but East Pakistan refused to transfer the power and leadership role. Therefore, a year later on March 7, Sheikh Mujibir Rahman gave his famous speech calling for civil disobedience against the West. The Pakistani army launched Operation Searchlight on March 25, 1971, a brutal crackdown on students, intellectuals, and civilians in Dhaka, sparking the initiation of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Mukti Bahini, or the Liberation Army, fought a guerrilla war against the Pakistani military with superior firepower.

    Throughout the war, around 3 million civilians were killed and millions fled across the border to seek refuge in India. India dispatched military supplies to support the Bengali struggle for independence in December of 1971. The war came to an end on December 16, 1971, with Pakistani forces' surrender at Dhaka, thereby formally bringing Bangladesh into existence as an independent nation.

Steps:

1. Read historical accounts of the Bangladesh Liberation War and explore how food scarcity shaped daily life.

• Identify 1–2 key dishes that have cultural and historical roots in this time period.
  
  

2. Learn how these dishes were made originally (tools, techniques, ingredients)

• Make each dish from scratch as close to the original method as possible, such as milling my own flour or cooking with fire.
  
  

3. Prepare the same dish with modern appliances and store-brought ingredients to compare effort, taste, and meaning.
   
   

4. Take photos, record videos, focus on touch, smell, taste, and emotional connection.
   
   

5. Compile everything into a blog, short documentary, or presentation that highlights the emotional and historical value of traditional cooking.

 

Introduction/Interest

Hello, My name is Mehdi Shad and I am Bengali. My project is about learning the history and cultural significance behind underrepresented dishes that have deeply influenced the identity and lifestyles of my home country that often go unnoticed. To truly understand the roots of these dishes, I’ll be making them from scratch, by doing things such as sourcing my own ingredients from the wild, to recreate how they were traditionally prepared. I’ll also make the same dishes using modern methods to compare the effort, flavor, and emotional impact. As for the dishes I will be focusing on, I chose the national dish of Bangladesh, Hilsa Curry, and a struggle meal that was often eaten during the genocide of Bangladesh, fermented rice porridge.

I’m passionate about this because food is more than just sustenance and survival for all countries in the world. It's a living memory of migration, survival, identity, and resilience. I want to connect with both my culture and others’ by honoring the creativity and labor that went into these dishes, especially in times of conflict or crisis, like during the genocide in Bangladesh.

My goal is to highlight the importance of culinary traditions in preserving history and identity. To do this, I’ll research through historical texts, cultural archives, and interviews where possible, while documenting my own process through journals and video.

In the end, my project will be a multi-sensory exploration, through academic research and hands-on experimentation, that reflects the intersection of taste, tradition, and historical empathy.