Iblisnama

If you ask the Bengalis about their favorite fish, they will talk about hilsa. 6% of the world's hilsa is produced alone in Bangladesh. According to that, the exclusive right of Hilsa is in the possession of Bangladesh. Bengalis who do not like hilsa with smoked rice will probably not be found.

Hilsa seized in words

Originally, the word 'Hilsa' came from Sanskrit language. In Sanskrit it is called 'Ilish'. Il + Ish- This is the treaty-separation. 'Il' means in the water, and 'Ish' means king. Then 'Elish' means 'King of Water'. Although the word hilsa is now written as hilsa. Any tasteful Bengali will admit that Hilsa is the king of water, but non-Bengalis are different!

Image source: Fahad Faisal / Wikimedia Commons

Hilsa's home

Hilsa is found in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea and adjoining rivers. As such, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Iran, Thailand are the pastures of Hilsa in these countries. The fame of Padma Hilsa in Bangladesh is world class. Bangladesh is the largest supplier of Hilsa in the world. According to that, it can be said that Hilsa is the landlord of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is also in possession of GI (Geographical Indication) recognition of Hilsa given by the International Intellectual Property Authority.

The best hilsa

Without arguing, Padma Hilsa is the best, but let's look at how this superiority came about. Hilsa is basically sea fish. Since the eggs are spoiled in the salt water, the hilsa has to come to the mouth of the river to release the eggs.

At this time Hilsa has to travel a long way. The speed of hilsa is about 60 km per hour. Riverine hilsa moves against the current. It lives by eating algae that has accumulated in the river. The best algae for hilsa food is found in the estuary of Padma. This algae accumulates as fat in the stomach of hilsa, which enhances the taste of hilsa several times. Hilsa tastes better before laying eggs. If there is an egg in the stomach, the taste decreases a little, and if an egg is released, it decreases more.

According to experts, river hilsa is tastier than the sea. However, sea hilsa also does not take off. Basically, different types of hilsa have different tastes. And there is no doubt that Padma Hilsa is the best for any taster.

Talk about rubbish

When hilsa leaves the sea and enters the river for the purpose of laying eggs, some hilsas forget their path or fall into the canals in floods. The taste of hilsa in the water of canal-beel is reduced several times. These hilsas are called bilish. However, bilish is not commonly available.

Hilsa has nutritional value

Each 100 grams of hilsa contains 19.4 grams of fat, 21.7 grams of protein, 2.9 grams of sugar, 2.2 grams of minerals, 180 milligrams of calcium, 280 milligrams of potassium, 2 milligrams of iron, and 263 calories of energy. Hilsa fish contains omega 3 fats, which play a role in curing heart disease and cancer. However, nothing extra is healthy, which also applies to hilsa.

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Hilsa of literary culture

In Bangladesh, Poyala Boishakh and Panta Hilsa have somehow become synonymous. In fact, Chaitra, Baishakh is not the time to catch or eat hilsa. The best time to catch hilsa is the new moon and full moon of Bhadra month.

There are thirty-one fish names in a poem of Annadamangalakavya by Bharat Chandra Raigunakar, the best poet of the Middle Ages, the last of which is hilsa.

Vijaygupta's Manasamangal Kavya describes the way to cook hilsa in this way ...

Ania hilsa fish

Did strip strip

Cook with it

South Sea Banana.

Buddhadeva Bose in his poem 'Hilsa' has described Hilsa as a 'bright grain of water'. There is a story of Gopal Bhar about Hilsa. King Krishnachandra told Gopal to buy hilsa from the market and show it to everyone and come to the court. If no one asks for the price, Gopal will be rewarded. The wise Gopal, holding the hilsa fish in his hand, turned the dhoti upside down and later came to the court. People did not ask the price and started saying, crazy is the hobby of eating hilsa again!

Not to mention Syed Mujtaba Ali's love of hilsa. Once he had an argument with a Punjabi professor about which food is best. According to Mr. Ali, the best food is Padma Hilsa with fine rice. On the other hand, the Punjabi professor said, biryani. Angered, he stopped talking to the professor for seven days. This is the true Ilsharsik!

There are innumerable rhymes, poems, verses, proverbs, stories, legends about hilsa spread in rural Bengal. In the election of 1970, a rhyme became very popular in the then East Bengal, "Thirty thorns of hilsa fish, beard of boiled fish / Yahya Khan begs / Sheikh Mujib's house."