If someone asks me, ‘what is your addiction?’ I must say again and again, ‘Travelling, Travelling, and Travelling’. I keep looking for opportunities to travel all the time. From this tendency, I have had the good fortune to visit several districts in Bangladesh and India, and appreciated sociality.
As a travel buff, I had an opportunity to enjoy one place of beauty which is Rangamati.
Rangamati is a hill-tract district, green land of natural beauty, located in the southeast of Bangladesh. Rangamati is a land inhabited mainly by tribes who have their own culture, traditions, and food.
Fortunately, my husband and I spent one day with them and came to know about their food and customs closely.
Back in 2016, a close friend of mine, whose home town is in Rangamati, invited us to visit his place. The warmth and sincerity of him and his family could not be overlooked. They served us various types of local and traditional foods which were really delicious. The most popular of all the dishes was the tribal homemade drink ‘Dochowani’ – similar to an alcoholic drink. The color of this drink is white; the taste is a little intense and the smell is strong. The main ingredient of this recipe is white rice. It is made with a special making method by rotten white rice. It is served as an evening snack with boiled cabbage and green cucumber. The most interesting thing is that, without this particular drink they cannot make any festival perfect, which is generally recognized by men and women.
I cannot but mention about another cuisine, the rich and healthy territorial food of this region is ‘Bamboo Chicken’. This tempting food is locally known as ‘HUROCHUMA’ to the indigenous people of the area. Because of its unique taste and aroma, it is not only renowned in hilly areas but all over Bangladesh. A medium-sized bamboo is needed to make this curry by stuffing the chicken into it and it is cooked on an open charcoal stove. Bamboo chicken is an oil free and nutritionally rich food. In this same cooking method, dried fish and fresh fish are also cooked inside the bamboo stem. This traditional mouthwatering dish is served with white rice and bread as the main course of dinner.
The hospitality of the simple people of Rangamati was amazing, and the most fascinating part was that they shared their heritage with us that night under the open sky, witnessed by thousands of stars and the moon. The night in a remote area was one of the most memorable nights in my life. If I had the chance again, definitely I would never miss this kind of experience at all.
