Salina Parvin

It has been socially the role of a new mother-in-law to appease her new son-in-law, and as they say — the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, much of which is attempted through lavish dinners, special dishes, and everything associated.

While Bangladeshi desserts and sweets are predominantly served at the end of a meal, some cultures believe in serving sweets at the beginning, and then there are cultures that lack the concept of desserts completely — some just like to top off with light fruits, instead of rich sweets.

Drinks are an important part of any wedding, be it the wedding reception drink, welcome drink upon arrival, or drink with the meal. In our country, wedding drinks are mostly non-alcoholic.

The betel leaf has a long standing history with our culture. One simply cannot forget the image of elderly grandmothers, their lips reddened by the betel leaf, always chewed while narrating stories on winter evenings.

Saffron is one of the most sought after spices in the world. The threadlike ingredient that imparts a yellow hue are quite literally, imbibed in myths and legends.

These nine days across the world are charged with spiritual fervour as it is a time for worship, festivities, fasting and spiritual enhancement. The nine days of fasting and prayers culminate in Bijaya Dashami or Dussehra, the tenth day, which marks the victory of good over evil.

Spice up your taste buds with healthy spices in your diet. According to the International Organisation for Standardisation, there is no clear-cut division between spices and condiments.

This is a great example of nose-to-tail eating. Beef heart is a working muscle, and like any good steak, needs fast cooking over high heat to remain tender. Beef heart kebabs might seem like a recipe for the adventurous, but they are absolutely delicious and not offaly as one might expect, but lean and satisfyingly rich.

However you decide on plating the many types by PRAN Achar, this very element should prove to the rest of the world the very eloquence and finesse of our gastronomical mastery.

It is believed that Mughals were the first to introduce biryani in North India, whereas South India was exposed to its brilliance through the Arabs.

So here are a few dishes, using Rupchanda Lessorb Soyabean oil, that are sure to catch the foodies-in-waiting's fancy.

It's among the most divisive of food in the history of nutrition, although people have been eating it throughout history, many believe it to be harmful. Mammalian muscle meat including beef, lamb and mutton and veal are classified as red.

However, hunter-gatherers didn't just eat muscle meat. They ate the organs too, such as brains, intestines and even testicles. In fact, the organs were highly prized.

BEEF PASANDAY

It's been raining a lot lately. As it pours outside with dark clouds surrounding the environment, Bengalis everywhere crave for Khichuri. A piping hot plate of Khichuri is just what the heart desires when a Bengali comes home soaked from the rain. Some traditional songs in the background, and a quick nap if someone can squeeze it in, is the definition of a classic rainy day well-spent for Bengalis.

As we are reaching the final leg of the iftar journey , The Daily Star and PRAN sauce jointly presents “Iftar with sauce: the last call” to help you serve up delectable sauce filled iftars!

For Ramadan, you have probably done all your grocery shopping for iftar, but have you gotten the one thing that can is the synonym for soulmate for all your spicy food? That's right, its tomato sauce. And with that, for all the iftars of this Ramadan, The Daily Star and PRAN sauce jointly presents “Iftar with sauce”.

Food is one of the most significant aspects in any Bengali celebration. Breakfast till dinner, the menu can range from Luchi/puri, pitha, sandesh to parathas, vegetable or meat curries, khichuri -dim, pulao and chicken roast.

A Gujarati dish made from roasted and cooked broken wheat, Lapsi is sweetened with extra sugar and pleasantly flavoured with cardamom powder. Roasting the broken wheat in ghee gives lapsi a rich brown colour, an intense aroma, and rich flavour.

Classic Bengali fish biryani is enough to make one's mouth water. There is an interesting story behind this Bengali delicacy. Biryani in Bengal evolved from Lucknow when the last Nawab of Awadh was exiled to