Stop 05 on the SpiceRoute: the neighbourhood mishti dokan
In Bengal, emotions come in cardboard boxes tied with string. Passed an exam? Mishti. New job, new baby, new home? Mishti. Visiting relatives, making up after a fight, or just because it's Sunday? You already know the answer.
The mishti dokan
Every para has its sweet shop, with glass counters glowing under tube lights and trays of rosogolla floating in syrup. Sandesh is pressed into flowers and conch shells, mishti doi sets in clay pots, and there are the seasonal specials: nolen gur (date-palm jaggery) everything, every winter. Ask any Bengali which shop is best and you'll get a passionate, completely different answer from each one.
Love, in a box
Sweets are how Bengal says I love you without saying it out loud. That's where two of our softest designs came from. Mishti Lover shows three rosogollas in a clay bowl on a field of hearts. Bhalobashi is a big rose heart signed "with love, from Bengal".
They make lovely gifts. Tuck one into an actual box of mishti for full effect.
If you go
- Try sandesh and rosogolla from at least three shops. Then pick a side.
- Visit in winter for nolen gur sweets.
- Mishti doi tastes best straight from the clay pot.
Carry this story: Mishti Lover Badge · Bhalobashi Badge
