Just like all other traditional crafts, the knowledge, and expertise required to make sweets are generally inherited, and lovingly curated with utmost care. Unfortunately, the pride that should be evident for this beautiful work of the artisans is not expressed often.

To change that, the Bengal Foundation, has taken the initiative and opened a new kind of café— “Sweets of Bengal (Banglar Mishti),” a sweetmeat café serving various sweets from the different districts of Bangladesh.

In a star-studded event and dazzling lights, Bengal Foundation opened the doors of the café on Gulshan Avenue in the capital on December 18, 2017.

“Sweets are an indispensable part of Bengali heritage,” commented Abul Khair Litu, Chairman of Bengal Foundation and Sweets of Bengal. “Our sole intention of bringing forth Sweets of Bengal is to highlight signature sweets from different districts of Bangladesh and present them to people as an integral part of a rich culture,” he shared.

Asaduzzaman Noor, Minister of Cultural Affairs, graced the event, and shared his sweet memories of sharing a box of sweets with his mother; “My mother was the headmistress of a school when I was younger. For some inexplicable reason, maybe in fear of her mother-in-law, she’d bring a box of sweets to the school every day and together we would devour the sweets in secret!”

The place offers tempting sweets, originally from about 40 separate districts of Bangladesh.

“The sweets have been displayed like an exhibition. This is to shine light on how different a box of sweets originating from one district is from another. One may have too much sugar; another may require thickened milk. It’s all about the craftsmanship and how meticulously they are prepared,” explained Zeenat Chowdhury, Managing Director of Bengal Foundation, and the organiser of the beautiful event.

The basic idea behind the café is for you to be captivated by the artisanal array of sweets in the company of friends or colleagues. The plan is to expand the culinary assortment to comprise sweet delicacies from 57 districts. Artistic and decorative paintings highlight the walls and there is even a map pinpointing the different regions of Bengal with a list of each region’s very own culinary specialty.

Bengal Foundation has relentlessly strived towards reliving and preserving Bengal’s heritage and culture. And with their latest venture of Sweets of Bengal, they have only taken yet another proud stride towards reaching out for that goal.