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EveryMasala

Spices of Kolkata

A river port and former capital with old wholesale lanes in Burrabazar and a cuisine built on mustard, panch phoron and poppy seed.

Kolkata

Traded and grown here

Panch phoronMustard seedPoppy seedTurmeric

Best time: October to February.

Kolkata sits on the Hooghly. Burrabazar, the old wholesale quarter, trades in dry goods including spices, and Bengali cooking is known for mustard oil, mustard paste, panch phoron and poppy seeds.

The Victoria Memorial, officially the Victoria Memorial Hall, is a memorial building dedicated to Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India, which is located in Kolkata, India – the capital of West Benga
Photo: Ketanmehta4u, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Spices and trade

Wholesale lanes around Burrabazar and Posta sell chilli, turmeric, cumin, coriander and other spices. Bengali kitchens use panch phoron, a five-seed mix, and kasundi, a mustard sauce.

The place and its people

The city has Bengali, Marwari, Chinese, Anglo-Indian and other communities, each with its own food. Street food such as jhalmuri uses mustard oil and spice.

Visiting

Burrabazar is busy and crowded, so go early. College Street and the old tea houses show another side of the city.

A trail idea for Kolkata

  1. Burrabazar See the wholesale lanes.
  2. A spice shop Ask for panch phoron.
  3. A sweet shop Try Bengali sweets, some flavoured with cardamom.
  4. Park Street Eat at old restaurants.
About this page

Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Background: "Kolkata" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.

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