Mahalaya is observed every year at the end of ‘Pitru Paksha’, a 16-day period when Bengalis pay respect to their ancestors. Celebrated with much zeal by Bengalis across the world, Shubho Mahalaya is believed to be the day Goddess Durga descended the Earth and is a precursor to Durga Puja.

Every festive season is incomplete without sumptuous food. So many of us have taken up cooking during the lockdown and experimenting with new flavours is always exciting. We spoke to recipe developer and food blogger, Maumita Paul (Experiences of a Gastronomad) to share a couple of traditional Bengali recipes. She spoke of her love for the cuisine, “It was largely Bengali cuisine that I grew up on. Clean flavours, austere usage of spices, an abundance of vegetables and greens fresh from the kitchen garden and local farms, and a bountiful profusion of freshwater fishes. My Grandma was a prolific cook. Her hands would convert even the most mundane and understated of ingredients to culinary magic.”