Teto - Utterly Bitterly Healthy by tradition
Starter in Bengali menu seems some dishes that tastes bitter at first, but like a tongue palate cleanser towards more flavors to excite the taste buds.
Written by: Barnali Dutta
Date published: 05/15/2013
When I was very young I did not like that taste, my parents always encouraged us to take some plain rice after taking it. It is like a habit now and interestingly even if I take some water, I feel some sweetness triggered back in my mouth.
From Los Angels Times I read this articles about the neem. Rabindranath Tagore, the great Indian poet and Nobel laureate, is said to have drunk neem juice every morning for his health. Gandhiji chewed neem leaves before his meals.
The Indians and Africans also used Neem (Margosa) chew sticks (Neem Daton) for countless years to oral care. Chew the end of the stick to form bristles and then carefully rub the bristles along the gum line as we use toothbrush. Cut off the end each time to use it to ensure freshness. This will serve to clean the teeth by dislodging debris and the semi-abrasive brush will strengthen gums and teeth.
In Bengali if someone needs to describe others facial expression or attitude as bleak or sullen and/or explain own gloomy mood or feeling, they relate to the facial expression that occurs while drinking quinine or chirata water. Any bitter relationship is explained in Bengali by "as bitter (সম্পর্কের তিক্ততা) as chirata."
TETO RECIPES:
- Bitter Bites
- - Some bitterly Bengali starter items.(to serve with steamed rice)
- Neem Begun (brinjal with margosa fry)
- Shukto (mixed vegetables)
- Palta pata (putulika/parwal leaves) fry
- Paat/Nalte pata (jute leaves fry)
- Shiuli pata (prajakta or prajakt leaves) fry
- Uchhe Kumro or Begun Bhaja (karela with pumpkin or brinjal fry)
- Sojne phul bhaja (drumstick flower fry)
- Thankuni Pata Bata (mandukaparni or brahmi booti paste)
- Morning Mists
- - Some more bitter things in the morning before breakfast (need to take on an empty stomach) to kick the acute bitterness back.
- Chirotar Jol (Soaked bitter stick water)
- Kalmegh boti (কালমেঘের বড়ি) Andrographis paniculata pill
- Triphala (containing three seeds amloki, bahera and haritaki)
- Kulottokolai (overnight soaked horsegram seeds water)
- Akher gur with kancha halud (sugarcane gur/jaggery with raw turmeric root)
- Peper kosh in batasha (white sap of green papaya in sugar bonbon/lolly or sugar drops)
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