Bengali New Year Pohela Baishakh Food List
Bengali New Year or Pahela Boishakh is an important festival of Bengali culture, and it is celebrated with traditional food. The food list of Pahela Boishakh usually reflects the taste and diversity of Bengali cuisine. Below is a list of some popular dishes that are common during this festival:
🥘 Breakfast
- Panta Bhaat (fermented rice)
- Fried Hilsa (Ilish) fish
- Mashed potato, dried fish mash, mustard mash
- Raw chili, onion, and salt (as sides)
🍛 Lunch
- Steamed rice
- Shukto (mixed vegetable curry with bitter gourd)
- Lentils (Moong or Masoor) with fried eggplant
- Lau Chingri (bottle gourd with shrimp) or Chorchori (mixed veg stir-fry)
- Rui or Hilsa fish curry
- Beef or Mutton curry
- Tok (sour side dish made with raw mango, bael, or tamarind)
🍬 Desserts & Sweets
- Payesh (rice pudding with milk)
- Rasgulla, Sandesh, Chamcham, Kalojam
- Sweetened yogurt
- Gur-based Pitha (if jaggery is available)
🍹 Drinks
- Sugarcane juice / Bael sherbet / Lemonade
- Buttermilk / Sweet lassi
The food on Pahela Baishakh usually features local and seasonal ingredients. Panta-hilsa and Bharta are more popular in rural areas, while biryani, pulao or meat-heavy dishes are more common in cities. On this day, joy is shared through food and drink with family and friends.