Mirzapur, Ishwarganj, Mymensingh

Economy

Agriculture 87.52%, Non Agriculture 3.38%, Business 2.22%, Service 1.84%, Others 5.04%. Total Agricultural land 308 acres, single crop land 63 acres, double crop land 215 acres, triple crop land 25 acres, quadruple crop land 5 acres. Net crop land 339 acres, Gross crop land 354 acres.

Geography and climate

The village has no officially defined geographical limits.

The climate of Mirzapur is moderate, much cooler than Dhaka, as it is closer to the Himalayas. The monsoon starts in May or June and continues till August. It rains heavily and sometimes for days and weeks. During the monsoon, the temperature varies between 15 and 20 degrees. The temperature falls below 15 °C (59 °F) in winter which is spread over December and January and may well include November and February. The highest temperature is felt during April–May period, when the temperature may be as high as 40 °C (104 °F). High humidity causes heavy sweating during this period. For western travellers, the best time to visit is between November and February.

Sports

Sport in Mirzapur is a popular form of entertainment as well as an essential part of countries culture. Ha-du-du or Kabaddi is the national sport of Bangladesh. However, cricket and football are considered as the most popular sports. Golla chut, Daria bandha, Bouchi, Gilli-danda / Danguli, Saat chara, Swimming, Cricket, Football, Cock fight, Bull fight, Marble , Card, Boom busting, Ekka-Dokka, Kanamachi, Badminton, Voliball, 16 Ghuti, Putul Khela, Boat Race, Kutkut, Kori Khela, Iching Biching, are the main sports.

Crops

Paddy and wheat are the main crops. Other crops are Aamjupi Eggplant, Amaranth, Red amaranth, Bottle Gourd or Calabash, Taro, Taro Green Leaf, Taro Stem, Taro Corm, Taro Root / Taro Shoots, Bean, Black Bengal gram, Bamboo, Lady Finger, Cucumber, Pomelo, Betel leaf, Betel nut, Wood apple, Potato, Turmeric, Onion, Garlic, Ginger , Sugar cane, Mustard seed, Sesbania Grandiflora, Ash Gourd, Teasle Gourd, Sesame seed, Nigella Seed, Coriander, Green Coriander Leaf, Star Anise, Anise/ Aniseed, Fennel, Fenugreek, Green Chili, Red Chili, Mint, Fresh Mint/ Mint leaf, Celery, Basil, Cabbage, Bay Leaf, Spinach, Fenugreek Leaf.

Fruits

The fruit and fruit trees indigenous to Mirzapur areas as follows:

Cuisine

Mirzapuri cuisine (Bengali: মির্জাপুরের রান্না/রন্ধনপ্রণালী) is the cuisine of Mirzapur. It is dominated by Mymensingh cuisine and has been shaped by the diverse history and riverine geography of Bangladesh. The country has a tropical monsoon climate. Rice (ভাত) is the main staple food of Mirzapur and is served with a wide range of curries. Sublime Mirzapuri dishes exhibit strong aromatic flavors; and often include eggs, potatoes, tomatoes and aubergines. A variety of spices and herbs, along with mustard oil and ghee, is used in Mirzapuri cooking. The main breads are naan, porota, ruti (chaler ruti and aatar ruti), bakorkhani and luchi. Dal is the second most important staple food which is served with rice/porota/luchi. Fish is a staple in Mirzapuri cuisine, especially freshwater fish, which is a distinctive feature of the village's gastronomy. Major fish dishes includes ilish, pabda (butterfish), rui (rohu), pangash (pangas catfish), chitol (clown knifefish), magur (walking catfish), bhetki (barramundi) and tilapia. Meat consumption includes beef, lamb, venison, chicken, duck, squab and koel. Vegetable dishes, either mashed (bhorta), boiled (sobji), or leaf-based (shaak), are widely served. Lobsters and shrimps are also often prevalent.

Gourmet polao is served during feasts and festivals. Different types of Bengali biryani and polao include Kacchi (mutton), Tehari (beef), Ilish and Murgi (chicken). Different types of kebabs include shikh, reshmi, shashlik, tikka and shami. The village is home to a huge spread of mirzapuri desserts and confectioneries, ranging from pan-fried to steamed rice cakes (pitha) to halua and sweets made from fruits and sweetened cheese. Tea is widely consumed as the national beverage and offered to guests as a gesture of welcome. Popular snacks include samosas, pakoras, jhalmuri(puffed rice mixed with various spices), pitha(rice cakes), rolls and so on. The phuchka and chotpoti are major street foods.

Main ingredients

Mirzapur's main staple food of sweet water fish comes from individual pond and Nearest Koila Bill. Every pond in Mirzapur is fulfilled with various types of fish. Rui, Katol, Koi, Pabda, Boal, Chitol, Magur, Shing, Mola, Puti, Veda, Baila, Vagna, Lacho, Goina, Taki, Shoal, Mrigel, Grass Curp, Minar Curp, Silver Curp, Baim, Tara Baim, Gutum, Chingri, Kholshe, Raga etc. are favorites to all. Ilish comes from outer side market of this village.

The staples of Mirzapuri cuisine include rice, which is a common component of most everyday meals. Atta (a unique type of whole ground wheat flour) is used for making Luchi, Porota, Pitha etc.

Lentils/Pulses (legumes) includes at least five dozen varieties; the most important of which are Bengal gram (chhola), pigeon peas, red gram, black gram (biuli), and green gram (mung bean). Pulses are used almost exclusively in the form of 'dal', except 'chhola', which is often cooked whole for breakfast and is processed into flour (beshon).

A wide variety of green vegetables and fruits are available in Mirzapur. A host of gourds, roots and tubers, leafy greens, succulent stalks, citrons and limes, green and purple eggplants, red onions, plantains, broad beans, okra, banana tree stems and flowers, lotus roots, green jackfruit, red pumpkins, and mushrooms are to be found in the vegetable markets or kacha bazaar or sabji bazaar.

Local and hybrid chicken, beef and mutton dishes are favorites across Bangladesh, as well as bird dishes, such as group duck and pigeons.

Cooking medium and spices

Bay leaves, Cumin powder, Cumin, Red Chili powder, Turmeric powder, Panch foron, Coriander powder, mustard and fenugreek seeds. Mustard oil and Vegetable oil are the primary cooking mediums in Mirzapuri cuisine, although Sunflower oil and Peanut oil are also used. However, depending on the type of food, clarified butter (ghee) is often used for its aromatic flavors. The most common condiments, herbs and spices in Bangladeshi cuisine are garlic, onion, ginger, turmeric, ghee, coriander, cumin, dry bay leaves, Black pepper, and chili powder.

The Panch foron is a general purpose spice mixture composed of fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds, Celery seeds, Cilantro seeds, and black mustard seeds. This mixture is more convenient for vegetarian dishes and fish preparations.

The use of spices for both meat and vegetable dishes is quite extensive and includes many combinations. The combination of whole spices, fried and added at the start or finish of cooking as a flavoring is special to each dish. Whole black mustard seeds and freshly ground mustard paste are also a typical combination. A pungent mustard sauce called kashundi is sauce for snacks or sometimes makes a base ingredient for fish dishes and vegetable dishes popular in Mirzapur.

Mirzapuri meals

Each dish is to be eaten separately with a small amount of rice or ruti, so that individual flavors can be enjoyed. The typical Mirzapuri fare includes certain sequences of food. Two sequences are commonly followed, one for ceremonial dinners, such as a wedding, and the other for day-to-day sequence. Both sequences have regional variations, and sometimes there are significant differences in a particular course in Mirzapur.

Ceremonial occasions, such as weddings, use to have elaborate serving rituals, but professional catering and buffet-style dining can be seen now. The traditions have not disappeared; large family occasions and the more lavish ceremonial feasts will still have the same traditional rituals.

Main course

Mirzapuri foods contain staples, such as rice and flat breads. Different traditional flat breads include Luchi, Porota, Bakhorkhani, Nan, Ruti, Rice Flour Flatbread, Chitai Pitha, and many more. Dishes made from chicken, beef, fish or mutton, as well as dal (a spicy lentil soup) and vegetables commonly accompany rice and flat breads. Traditional dishes can be 'dry', such as gosht bhuna (chicken/beef/mutton). Items with jhol (gravy) are often curried. Mirzapuri cuisine frequently uses fresh vegetables, which generally vary with season. Vegetables are also used for light curries.

On special occasions, such as weddings or other similar ceremonies, Mirzapuri people serve guests with Biryani and Borhani (which is a spicy drink that is known to aid digestion).

Chutney

In Mirzapuri cuisine, Chutney is mainly served at the end of a meal. It is a sweet & sour thickened curry usually made with local seasonal fruits, such as raw mango, jujube, Gooseberry, tamarind etc. with panch poron (five mix spices) and sugar.

Desserts

Bengalis take pride on their desserts. Bengalis are the pioneers of making and inventing a variety of sweets in the Indian Subcontinent (pre-partition period). Most of these sweets have been created by a "Ghosh" (a dessert maker or dairy product seller cast). The last item before the sweets Doi (baked yogurt). It is generally of two varieties, either natural flavour and taste or Mishti Doi (sweet yogurt), typically sweetened with charred sugar. This brings about a brown colour and a distinct flavour. Mirzapuri cuisine has a rich tradition of sweets. The most common sweets and desserts include:

Rasgulla locally pronounced "Roshogolla" or "Rashgolla", is a sweet made with channa (posset/curdled milk) and sugar syrup. It is one of the most widely consumed sweets. The basic version has many regional variations.

Channer Shondesh is a dessert created with milk and sugar. (Bengali: সন্দেশ). Some recipes of Sandesh call for the use of chhena or paneer (which is made by curdling the milk and separating the whey from it) instead of milk itself.

Chhanar Mishti is a sweet made from chickpea flour with sugar/jaggery/molasses. Nowadays, there are various types of Chhanar Mishti available all across Bangladesh.

Mishti Doi Sweetened homemade creamy yogurt; prepared by boiling milk until it is slightly thickened, sweetening it with sugar, either gud/gur/mithai (brown sugar) or khajuri gud/gur/mithai (date molasses), and allowing the milk to ferment overnight.

Naru it is usually home-made and used as offerings in Hindu rituals of praying to their Gods.

Rosh-malai small rashgollas in a sweetened milk base; Mymensingh is famous for its Rosh-malai.

Khaja deep fried sweets made from wheat flour and ghee, with sugar and sesame seeds as the coating.

Mua cooked with rice flakes and jaggery.

Hawai'i Mithai - Made with sugar and given various forms.

Chhana is fresh, unripened curd cheese made from water buffalo milk.

Chhanar jilapi Made in a manner very similar to regular jalebi except they are made with chhana.

Khir is a rice pudding from the cuisine of Mirzapur, made by boiling rice, broken wheat, tapioca, or vermicelli with milk and sugar; it is flavoured with cardamom, raisins, saffron, cashews, pistachios or almonds.

Phirni together with Zarda, is also typical during Shab-e-Barat and Eid. It is cooked with dense milk, sugar/jaggery, and scented rice (kalijira rice). Although it takes a lot of time to cook, it is one of the main features of Mirzapuri desserts. A thicker version of khir is used as filling for pitha.

Gurer Shondesh is a fritter made from rice flour and palm sugar.

Goja is a light sweet snack made from flour and sugar, and often served as street food, which is consumed both as dessert and starter.

Chomchom (চমচম) (originally from Porabari, Tangail District in Bangladesh) – . This sweet goes back centuries. The modern version of this oval-shaped sweet is reddish brown in colour and has a denser texture than the rôshogolla. It can also be preserved longer. Granules of mawoa or dried milk can also be sprinkled over chômchôm.

Shemai is made with vermicelli prepared with ghee or vegetable oil.

Muktagachar monda is a traditional sweetmeat. The sweet, first made in 1824, is reputed in the subcontinent of India and many countries for its originality, taste and flavour.

Peda (পেড়া) is a sweet from the Indian subcontinent, usually prepared in thick, semi-soft pieces. The main ingredients are khoa, sugar and traditional flavorings, including cardamom seeds, pistachio nuts and saffron.

Balushahi is made from a stiff dough made with all-purpose flour, ghee and a pinch of baking soda. One-inch-diameter (25 mm), 1⁄2-inch-thick (13 mm) discs are shaped with hands, fried in ghee or oil and dunked in thick sugar syrup so that there is a sugar coating. They are very sweet, but tasty with a slightly flaky texture.

Rabri is a sweet, condensed milk based dish made by boiling the milk on low heat for a long time until it becomes dense and changes its color to pinkish. Sugar, spices and nuts are added to it to give it flavor. It is chilled and served as dessert. Rabri is the main ingredient in several desserts, such as rasabali, chhena kheeri, and khira sagara. Rabri can also be made savoury with salt, masala, and zeera.

Pitha

In Mirzapur, the tradition of making different kinds of pan-fried, steamed or boiled sweets, lovingly known as "piţhe" or "pitha" still flourishes. These little balls of heaven symbolises the coming of winter, and the arrival of a season where rich food can be included. The richness lies in the creamy silkiness of the milk, which is often mixed with molasses or jaggery made from either date palm or sugarcane, and sometimes sugar. They are mostly divided into different categories based on the way they are created. The most common forms of these cakes include bhapa piţha (steamed), pakan piţha (fried) and puli piţha (dumplings), among others. The other common pithas are chondropuli, pati shapta, chitai piţha and dudh puli. Generally, rice flour goes into making the pitha.

Beverages

Akher gur er Shorbot – sugarcane juice with jaggery, Akher Rosh – sugarcane juice, Borhani – a spicy drink usually served in gatherings, banquets and weddings (it aids digestion), Ghol – whisked salted milk, Khejur Rosh – date palm juice, Tea, Malai, Faluda, Mango juice (Amer shorbot), Watermelon juice (Tormujer shorbot), Juice of Bengal quince or Wood Apple (Bel er shorbot) and Lemon lime juice (Lebur shorbot).

Religious View

About equal portion of Muslims (Islam) and Hindus (Sanatan) are living here without any corruption and religious conflict. Both participate each-other religious festival, wedding festival, marriage ceremony, birthday party and so on. And always each person is ready to help each other. No religious conflict in this village is present.

Sanatan - 60% Islam - 40% Others - 00%