Fished extensively in the rivers and estuaries of India and Bangladesh, the bata, a bottom-feeding relation of carp, may grow to 60 cm (2 ft).
White goosefoot, extensively cultivated in northern India as a food crop and especially popular in the Punjab. As with many leafy greens, these may be treated as spinach. Care should be taken not to consume too great a quantity as the plant contains high levels of oxalic acid. It also produces large numbers of black seeds, closely related to quinoa, which are high in minerals and vitamins. Finally, the plant has medicinal qualities for which it is consumed. It aids the complexion and can cure hook worm infections.
Fished extensively in the rivers and estuaries of India and Bangladesh, the bata, a bottom-feeding relation of carp, may grow to 60 cm (2 ft).
A special Benglai dish of smoked or roasted aubergines (US: eggplants) with mustard oil, puréed with onions and tomatoes.
Bael fruit; a close relative of the citrus. The fruit is about the size of, and has the appearance of a greyish-yellow orange with a thin woody rind. The floury pulp is pale orange in colour and has numerous seeds. Dried slices are soaked and boiled and the resulting liquid sweetened and drunk. Used for medicinal purposes.
