Paper Title: Culinary Narratives in Bengali Literature: A Cultural Studies Perspective
Author:
Abstract:
The study and analysis of culinary narratives have emerged as a significant area within Cultural Studies. Food, culinary practices, and modes of consumption are not merely related to biological sustenance; they also reflect deeper dimensions of human society and psychology. Food serves as a marker of social organization, historical evolution, caste and community identities, cultural consciousness, power relations, social equality and inequality, gender dynamics, and emotional experiences. In many instances, it functions as a symbolic representation of complex human thoughts and feelings. Consequently, food narratives have become an important field of inquiry in several interdisciplinary branches of Cultural Studies in the West. This paper examines the nature and significance of culinary narratives in the context of selected Bengali literary works. Literary examples have been drawn from different periods of Bengali literature—ancient, medieval, and modern—to demonstrate the continuity and transformation of food-related representations across time. Food often transcends its biological function and becomes deeply embedded in the social and psychological fabric of human life, though this influence frequently remains unnoticed. Through descriptions of food, cooking practices, feasting, fasting, scarcity, and everyday consumption, Bengali literature has preserved diverse aspects of Bengali identity, social structures, cultural values, and emotional worlds. Culinary representations in literature reveal the complexities of class relations, religious practices, gender roles, family traditions, and collective memory. They also illuminate the ways in which food functions as a cultural symbol, shaping and reflecting the lived experiences of individuals and communities. The methodology adopted in this study is primarily analytical. By employing theoretical perspectives related to food narratives, the paper seeks to offer a reinterpretation and renewed appreciation of selected Bengali literary texts. It aims to demonstrate how literary depictions of food contribute to our understanding of Bengali society, cultural identity, and the multifaceted dimensions of human experience.
Keywords:Cultural Studies, Culinary Narratives, Bengali Identity, Food Culture, Gender Consciousness.
DOI Link – https://doi.org/10.63431/AIJITR/3.II.2026.266-274
Review By – Dr. L. Ali Khan, Dr. Amrita Dutta