Lifestyle

Toronto hosts first ever Bengali food festival and foodies are craving for more

by TRANS WORLD FEATURES | @twfindia 20 Aug 2024, 08:27 pm

Sandesh. Alur Dom. Morog Polao. Rosogolla. These are just some of the iconic foods that reflect the rich Bengali culture and cuisine.

On Saturday, Canadians got a taste of that culture at what the organizers claimed was the first-ever North American Bengali Food Festival in Toronto.

Organizers estimate that about 700 people attended at various points, trying delicious fare from several vendors. Spicy aromas wafted through the Tagore Centre venue all day, beckoning people to keep coming back for more.

“It’s a unique food festival,” said Suman Das, one of the organizers. “It’s the first time in the history of North America that we have started a Bengali food festival. It’s a huge success.”

Billed as an “extraordinary gastronomic adventure,” the event was presented by Bong (meaning Bengali) Point, an organization started by a group of friends who attended South Point School together in Kolkata and now live in the Toronto area.

Deputy Consul General of India  in Toronto K. P. Singh was the chief guest who inaugurated the food festival.

“This is exciting. I am happy to be here,” he said lighting the ceremonial lamp and digging in to some of the scrumptious dishes at the festival.

While most of the vendors hail from Canada, one, “Taste of Bengal,” traveled hundreds of miles from Charlotte, North Carolina, for the event, which began at 2 p.m. and lasted into the night.

Food was the main attraction. Many attendees stayed for hours chatting and sampling various foods and drinking masala chai and lassi. But people also got the chance to listen to interviews with vendors, view delectable entries in a cooking contest and watch friends stuff their faces in two timed eating competitions.

There were also performances by local children, including a food-themed Bengali dance.

“We had a great, great crowd. They came in and enjoyed our food and everything,” Das said.

“Bengali culture is all rooted in music, theatricals and food. Bengalis are people who love food.”

Besides introducing that food to the wider community, organizers hope to help vendors find new customers and grow.

“Bengali kitchens we are trying to promote so they can be commercialized,” Das said. At the festival, “almost every food was sold out. And we got feedback from all the vendors: They are quite happy.”

Organizers hope the event is just the first of many.

“This is our starting year. We are pretty much looking forward to having our next event in July 2025. And we are hoping the Bengali food festival will be ongoing every year in different areas and we are looking to spread it to major cities in the U.S.”

Das said he’s sure Bengali food will only grow more popular as more people taste it.

“Food has no borders,” he said.

India Blooms News Service (IBNS)- Canada was the media partner of the event.