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6 Min
27/11/2025
The potbelly is almost ubiquitous among the older generations of ‘kakus’ (uncles) who are addicted to their mishti (sweets). There’s a sound reason for that – the insane supply and variety of sweets in Bengal that changes with the season. Come winter, Bengali homes get busy, and the smells change thanks to the abundant supply of jaggery. It shows up in almost everything, and the sweets change colour and flavour.
Winter in Bengali homes is a period of excitement, especially for the young lot who cherish their sweets. This is because during this period, nolen gur or date palm jaggery is available. It is harvested by palm tappers who set up pots during Bengal's cold nights and collect them in the wee hours of the morning when the pots are full. The jaggery and nolen gur are cherished for their deep, caramel flavour and smooth, velvety texture. These include sweets like sandesh, pithe and moa, and rice puddings like payesh.
This is the umbrella term for numerous sweet dishes that include the famous patishpata, which is cooked like a crepe and also the likes of puli. Pithe comes in different shapes and sizes, with similar ingredients rolled, baked, cooked, fried, or steamed into delicious sweets.
Patishapta is a traditional Bengali sweet prepared especially during winter, consisting of soft crepes filled with a delicious coconut-jaggery-mawa filling. The crepe is cooked first, like a paratha, then the filling is added, and it's rolled into a flattish wrap, ready to be eaten.
Bhapa pithe is a steamed sweet dumpling made of rice flour, coconut, jaggery (gur), and occasionally reduced milk or khoya. Unlike saaj pithe, which uses a specific pan, bhapa pithe is steamed in a special steamer or over bubbling water with a cloth-lined lid. The rice dumplings are generally stuffed with coconut and jaggery.
Less common are these idli-like steamed rice cakes that are made with a rice flour batter, cooked in an earthen pitha pan. Chitoi or saaj pithe is typically made during Poush Parbon, celebrating the harvest season. Unlike idlis, these are not fluffy but dense, and smaller and thicker, often served with a side of ‘jhola gur’ or jaggery syrup or freshly made khoya.
One of the more time-consuming pithe that is made in Bengali homes is chusi pithe, which is usually made during Paush Sankranti. Small rice-grained shaped granules are hand rolled off a larger rice dough and collected and cooked in jaggery-sweetened milk. It can be made into other shapes, too.
Puli pithe is a dumpling-like dish with braids at the ends (looks a lot like gujiya), stuffed with a coconut mixture or kheer, and can be either fried or steamed. It includes popular versions like dudh puli, where the stuffed rice dumplings (usually the excess that can’t be consumed on the same day) are cooked in milk and jaggery for a soupy dish.
Jolbhora talshash is a variation of the popular talshash sandesh with an interesting history. It was made by a local sweetmeat maker in Chahandarnagar, Surjya Kumar Modak, in 1818. The sweet is made with chhana like any other sandesh and filled with rose water. This liquid filling was the surprise centre that was intended to prank the son-in-law (jamai) of a wealthy zamindar’s family. The prank worked, the jamai ruined his outfit when he bit into the sweet and the sweet was christened by its shape (the talshash shape meaning palm fruit) and contents (jolbhora meaning filled with water). In winters, the rose water filling is swapped with the liquid gold of jaggery syrup.
Only available during the winter months, joynagarer moa is a famous Bengali mishti, with a G.I tag, made with Kanakchur Khoi (puffed rice), date palm jaggery (jhola gur), cashew nuts, poppy seeds, ghee, cardamom powder and raisins. It is made into a laddoo (Bengalis call it moa) that is a classic sweet that also comes in a crunchy form, when made with crunchy puffed rice and jaggery.
Alongside moa, naru is a staple of every Bengali household, as jaggery is produced in the state en masse. Other parts of the country know this sweet as tilgul or til laddoo. In Bengali homes, til-er naru is made with the sesame seeds (til) cooked with jaggery into a sticky mass that is allowed to cool a bit, then rolled into balls. They are usually made in smaller sizes compared to those made in other states. The nutty aroma of the sesame seeds, coupled with the jaggery’s caramel notes, makes it a tasty treat that kids love.
These traditional Bengali sweets are integral parts of ceremonial rituals in weddings and special occasions, too. They symbolise prosperity, happiness, and the bonding of families. The tradition of making pithe also symbolises the arrival of winter and a season when rich foods can be included in the otherwise mild diet of Bengalis.
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