For those acquainted with the diversities of the Bengali
palate, tiny lentil nuggets called ‘bori’
are nothing new. Bori are different
from daaler bora- which are lentil
fritters. Bori are also made from
lentil paste and moulded into nuggets, followed by drying under the sun. They
are smaller than daaler bora which is
actually a ready to eat dish. Bori are
fried before eating and added to many Bengali dishes for interesting tastes.
They are available in different sizes, made from variety lentils and can be added
with seasonings or simply sold plain. However, Goyna Bori are a specialty among all available bori. To be precise, they are a form of interesting food art
hailing from the eastern Medinipur in West Bengal.
The name Goyna Bori means
bori that are shaped like jewelry (Goyna in Bengali means jewelry). This
name refers to the interesting shapes that these bori are available in, most commonly in the form of jewelry. This
art developed among the women folk of Medinipur village since the place has
bountiful harvests of lentils. Commonly used lentil for Goyna Bori is the black lentil (Urad dal). The lentils are soaked
overnight and the next day the husk is removed. A sticky white paste is made
from them and then the bori makers
simply unleash their creativity! The designs are created very carefully and
some of them are really awe striking. A thumb rule for laying the bori design to prevent the paste from
sticking on the surface is to spread the paste over a layer of poppy or sesame
seeds. The seeds add a distinct flavour to the Goyna Bori. Sometimes a thin coating of mustard oil is also placed
over them.
Traditionally this Goyna
Bori making involved an elaborate initiation to mark the process. The bori maker would invite the women in the
locality to the house. The women should be clean and properly dressed. Twelve
married women would touch the senior bori
maker or the artist heralding the preparation process. The senior or expert
bori makers would lay the lentil
paste design while the amateurs would learn from them and help them. Goyna Bori had carved out a place for
itself in the society as these were given as wedding gifts (tattwa) to the in
laws when the daughter of a household got married. Bori (not only Goyna Bori)
often form an important serving item on special occasions like Jamae Shashthi when the son in law
feasts at his in laws home. The newly married bridegroom and even the bride,
have to make space for the delectable bori
on their plates.
The intriguing beauty of this food art has found appreciation
among several talented and well known men who couldn’t help but give into the
temptation. Famous Bengali authors like Bankimchandra, Rabindranath Tagore and
others have referred to this unique decorative in their literary compositions.
The celebrated Goyna Bori even had a
cameo appearance in Satyajit Ray’s film Agantuk!
The Goyna Bori is also common in Bengali rhymes and couplets. Few lines of
couplets mentioning it:
Khukur mon keno bhari?
Pate nei je goyna bori!
Translation:
Why is our
little girl sad?
Because her
plate doesn’t have Goyna Boris!
Another
one:-
Meye jachche soshur bari
Shongi holo goyna bori
Translation:
Our daughter
is leaving for her in-laws
The Goyna
Boris accompany her
Recently the Goyna Bori
was promoted as a part of creating awareness about Bengal’s dying arts under
the Biswa Bangla brand. Sadly this
beautiful indigenous art is dying out. Being a Bengali, I really take pride in
the nuanced art forms that my motherland has produced. I feel it is a part of
our responsibility to keep these things alive and pass it down to our next
generations…..
-Abhishikta
