Bengal

An Indian state, and also the name given to the whole region where the Bengali language is spoken, from the Indian state to the far border of Bangladesh. At times separated under the British into West and East Bengal, a division that approximates the present division between the Indian state of Bengal and the nation of Bangladesh, the region has a long history and a distinctive culinary and linguistic culture. The principal cities are Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), the capital of the Indian state of Bengal. Because it lies so far east, Bengal was conquered relatively late by the Moghuls, so its Muslim cooking is less marked by Moghul influence than that of other regions. Similarly, a strict version of Hinduism requiring vegetarianism was relatively late in arriving in Bengal (about two hundred years ago), so dals and legumes in general seem to play a lesser role in the cuisine than they do in other parts of India. Because the region is very fertile, a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and fish is used in cooking..