Panta bhat

Panta bhat or poitabhat (Bengali: পান্তা ভাত; Assamese: পঁইতা ভাত; Pàntà bhàt) is rice-based dish. It is prepared by soaking rice, generally leftover, in water overnight. Traditionally served in the morning with salt, onion and chili. It is consumed in Bangladesh and the eastern Indian states of West Bengal and Assam. It is a popular dish on the day of Bengali new year. It has been described in documents from 17th century. Panta bhat has more micronutrients than fresh rice. It is traditionally considered as beneficial in feverish conditions.

Etymology

Light syrupy water for use in sweetmeats like Pantua is called pani chasani or pani ras in Hindi, which may be boiled into jalao chasani or thick syrupy water used to make sweetmeats like Jilapi. Pantua and Jilapi took their names from the thickness of their chasani or ras (syrupy water). The lightly watered rice came to be called panta bhat.

History

During the Mughal Era members of socio-cultural organizations performed open air concerts, the audience listening to the concert and eating traditional food, particularly panta bhat. Friar Sebastian Manrique reported from his visit of Bengal in 17th century that the people of all communities, according to Manrique, were contented then with the daily meal of rice, often panta bhat, salt and green vegetable (shak). The better-off elements of the society consumed ghee, butter, milk and various lacteous preparations and sweetmeats.