A brief insight on the Eating Habits of a Bengali

Yeah you guys might have guessed from the title, I am a Bengali. I live in Siliguri, Westbengal. Although the state is called Westbengal it lies East of our great Democratic country India. We Bengalis are foody by nature, its in our Genes we can't stop our cravings for Delicacies, at least I cant.
We Indians like our food spicy so no wonder we have a lot of various spices in our kitchen closet. This is what a typical spice rack in the indian kitchen looks like-

We dont usually like the fancy stuff we love our katoris (Small containers).
This is my first post about Indian cuisine so I am just going to give you guys an introduction of the spices we use in our Foods. We use a lot of Spices but I am mainly going to focus on the day to day useful Spices.

RED CHILLI

We love it Spicy and Red Chillies are the perfect Spice to give it a kick Although we have some other Chillies which are more hot than normal chillies like Kashmiri, Jwala, Naga Jholakia etc(These are all Local names) but for everyday use Red Chillies are the best.

BLACK PEPPER

It might be the most important Spice in the list because of its various usefullness but we dont use it often cause its a bit costly compared to the rest, So our moms dont bring it often in our house but when they do I finish it quickly cause I love The hot and spicy taste of it which only feels spicy but doesnt burn your tongue or anything.

CARDAMOM

We have two kinds of cardamom used in our cooking i,e; green and black. Green is the more common variety which is used for everything from spice mixes to Lassis(An India Drink) to Indian desserts. The flavor is light and sweet, with a mild eucalyptus note. Green cardamom can be blended whole when making spice mixes, like garam masala, however when using them in sweets or desserts, you would pop the pod open and lightly crush the fragrant black seeds before using.

Black cardamom, on the other hand, is very powerful and smoky, and needs to be used with a lot of caution. Normally only the seeds would be used, and if using the whole pod, it's best to pull it out before serving the dish, as it can be very spicy to bite into because of it most Indians dont use it.Like most spices, black pepper needs to be toasted before blending. For the best flavor, however, fresh black pepper can also be ground directly into dishes.

CLOVE

Clove is a common spice in Indian cooking and its anise notes are easily recognizable in many Indian Cuisines. It is basically a concentrated Essential Oil which gives out a strong Medicinal Flavour. Cloves are technically flowers, and a lot of their oils are pressed out before they are dried and used in cooking. Cloves can be used whole or blended into spice mixes. They do need to be used with caution, but as its a powerful spice it might tend to overpower the other spices mixed in a Dish.

CASSIA BARK

Cassia bark is an interesting spice. Also known as Chinese cinnamon, it is a genus of the cinnamon tree (Oops the Botanist in me came out). We use it in almost all our Dishes its an essential part of Garam Masala (Its a mixture of various Spices).

CUMIN

Cumin is used frequently whole and in spice mixes to add a characteristic smoky note to Our dishes. It can be identified by its distinct ridged brown seeds and intense fragrance. It is sometimes confused with fennel, caraway, and anise seeds, but you can tell the difference by looking at its color and taste. Cumin is best used freshly ground for the most intense flavor. One thing to keep in mind while dry-roasting this spice is that it burns really easily, and burnt cumin tastes very bitter and will be very noticeable your dish.

CORIANDER

Coriander is probably the most ovious of spices in our spice rack to find. It is one of the oldest-known spices in the world, and it's characterized by its golden-yellow color and gently ridged texture. The seeds are very aromatic with a tiny bit of citrus notes.

MUSTARD SEEDS

Mustard seeds can be yellow, black, or brown and are used interchangeably in Indian cooking. The flavor of mustard seeds is released when they are crushed or cooked in oil. Their smoky, nutty flavor is a staple in curries and curry powders, and mustard oil is commonly used in our cooking. As a Bengali Fish is our Delicacy and we love to have it cooked in mashed up Mustard Seeds.

TURMERIC

Turmeric is another common Indian spice. It can be used fresh (like ginger) or dried. It has been known to have a host of health benefits and is used in a lot of spice mixes and curries. The flavor of fresh turmeric is slightly stronger than dried, and it stains very easily, so make sure you are careful with your clothes while using it.

These are the few Spices commonly used in our household. Apart from These we use a lot of Spices but those are not commonely used as they are quite Expensive like Saffron.

As this being my first post about Indian Food I just gave a little Intro I will post Indian Recipes soon so stay tuned to me Cause there is more to come.

PS : The Pictures posted here are courtesy of Google as I didn't have all the Spices in my Home right now.