Bengali Cuisine: Here's how it influenced the Sheherwali community which made THESE delicious dishes

Bengal is predominantly popular for its food, culture, festivals and tradition. And when it comes to talking about foods of Bengal, then fish, mishti doi, and rosogulla will always come to the first place. But the saga of foods of Bengal tells something more than that. Bengali gastronomy has a rich history which has been conquered by several different communities and royal cuisines of India. One such community is the Sheherwali community and their royal cuisine, which dates back to 300 years. During the 18th century, a group of Oswal Jain Community merchants migrated to Bengal from the state of Rajasthan. They settled in Murshidabad, which is popular as the capital of the Nawabs of Bengal. Legend has it, the merchants eventually became one of the most influential trading communities during Indian colonialism, through which the Sheherwali culture commenced in Bengal. 

The Sheherwali community influenced the culture, cuisine and lifestyle of Bengal with the hands of the Nawabs of the region. Along with adopting the food cultures, they also gave a warm welcome to Bengali dhoti, kurta and sarees. Eventually, they created a mixed culture with the influences of Western and Eastern India that later marked itself as the sign of royalty of Bengal. 

 According to the Murshidabad Heritage Development Society, Sheherwali community is one of the finest vegetarian expanses with the perfect blend of western and eastern Indian cuisine styles. They say, the spicy food of Rajasthan indulged in ghee met the flavours of Bengal and the royal cuisines of Afghans and Mughals. The society founded in the year 2010, is aimed to restore the heritage of Murshidabad and give a revival to it. 

When Sheherwali cuisine was influenced by the Bengali and Nawabi cuisines, then Rajasthani vegetarian food got fused with Bengal spices like 'paanch phoron' and Nawabi ingredients like saffron, rosewater, and dry fruits. And their slow-cooking process brought a new richness to all the Rajasthani vegetarian dishes. So, here are the popular dishes of the Sheherwali cuisine that were influenced by Bengali cuisine. 

Check out the 5 popular Sheherwali dishes.

Saloni Mewa Ki Khichdi

Its taste resembles Bengali sweet 'Mihidana' but is prepared with lots of dry fruits and rosewater. 

Chhena Bora

It's a dessert made of cottage cheese with a hard crust and soft interior. 

Kheere Ki Kachori

This kachori with grated cucumber, curd, and spices fillings. The shape of this kachori is inspired by the Bengali sweet 'Gujiya'. 

Neemas

It's a variation of 'Daulat Ki Chaat' of Delhi. 

Paniphal/Dal Ka Samosa

This is a samosa with dal or water chestnut filling in it.