BANGLADESH

LOCATION/RELIGION

• Located east of India
• About 90% Islam
• 10% Hinduism

WEATHER/CURRENCY

• Monsoonal season
• Average temperature 77 degrees
• Winters are about 65 degrees
• Summers are about 85 degrees
• Bangladeshi Taka- 0.013 US dollars

POHELA BOISHAKH

• First day of the Bengali calendar
• Start of the crop season
• House is cleaned, fancy dress, visit with family and friends
• Fair with many arts, foods , and cultural experiences

LANGUAGE MOVEMENT DAY

• Movement to stop upper class movement spread
• Banned by police
• Eventually spread to Pakistan
• Helped the Independence movement to help liberate Bangladesh

DURGA PUJA

• Most important to Hindus
• Schools are closed for five days
• Fairs are held
• Idols are carried and immersed into a nearby river or pond

CROPS

• Rice- harvested three times a year in many areas
• Jute- long, shiny vegetable that can be spun into thread
• Wheat- most common

EVERYDAY FOODS

• Flat breads- Luchi, Porota, Nan, Ruti, Rice Flour
• Many dishes incorporate chicken, beef, or fish
• Vegetables commonly are served with rice and bread
• Spicy Lentil Soup

SPECIAL fOODS

• Chhenagaja- cottage cheese, flour, sugar syrup dessert
• Chingri Malai Curry- curry, prawns, coconut, and mustard
• Konrad Dom- egg curry
• Mishti Chholar dal- curry with Bengal Gram

CONTINUED...

• Many of the common dishes include fish or beef served with vegetables, rice, and bread
• The favors are spicy but many of the desserts are sweet and have coconut and syrup
• Compared to America the dishes have more curry and many of the deserts have cheese or syrup in them and are less sweet than here

RECEIPE