Taste of home: Global dishes with local ingredients in Dhaka streets

Walk down almost any street in Dhaka and the change is hard to miss. Every corner of this city is filled with a variety of restaurants-Dumplings steam in roadside stalls.

Sushi rolls appear in small restaurants. Burgers are sold alongside French fries. Global cuisine has been a staple of the city's dining scene for years.

However, a new twist is now shaping menus.

Dishes carry a local touch within the global menu. Dumplings that might be dipped in soy sauce in Japan often come with green Chutney in Dhaka. Each plate tells the story of how international flavours are meeting Bangladeshi taste.

We often hear about globalisation and how it connects different parts of the world. However, the term 'glocalisation' may be less familiar.

Glocalisation describes the meeting point of the global and the local, the idea of 'think global, act local.'

In Bangladesh, food shows this process in action every day. Global recipes take on a distinctly local life when reshaped with Bangladeshi ingredients, spices, and cooking traditions.

Beef Kala Bhuna pizza, for example, is not something you would ever find in Italy. The smoky, spicy beef-slow-cooked the traditional way with onions, cardamom, and black pepper- sits atop a thin crust with melted cheese.

It's a marriage between the familiar warmth of a home-cooked curry and the convenience of fast-food pizza.

Similarly, some Burger outlets blend the international idea of that dish with the potato, a comfort food in every Bangladeshi household.

The crisp fried patty inside soft bread, paired with tangy sauces, feels both foreign and familiar at the same time.

Small cafés and street vendors are experimenting in their own corners of the city, creating dishes that carry the imprint of both worlds.

One vendor near Dhanmondi smiled as he flipped chicken shawarmas stuffed with extra chilli and cucumber slices. "Everyone likes foreign food, but in my cooking, there's the taste of Bengal." That simple line captures what makes these fusions work-they keep the global shape but fill it with local soul.

Foreign food has long been a symbol of modern life in Dhaka. When international chains first arrived, they brought with them an air of excitement.

Eating pizza or fried chicken wasn't only about taste; it was about feeling connected to the broader world.

Local companies responded with their own flavours, with multiple beverages proving that even in the face of global giants, local creativity finds a way to thrive.

This blend of global and local is not limited to restaurants. Homes reflect it too. Instant noodles, homemade sauces, and frozen foods are now everyday items.

Mothers cook foreign dishes with local adjustments. Pasta is mixed with mustard oil or chilli powder. Shawarma is served with ruti instead of pita bread.

Over time, global dishes have become an integral part of the everyday rhythm of Bangladeshi life. A bowl of pasta or a box of fried chicken no longer feels like a rare treat, as it often appears on dinner tables, at office lunches, or in late-night study sessions.

Social media captures this shift in playful ways, with comments like, "If Italians saw how we eat pasta, they would be surprised," reflecting how Bangladeshis have made these foods their own.

The creamy sauce is often thickened with extra spices, sometimes with a dash of green chilli, turning a European recipe into something that sparks a very local kind of comfort.

Economics plays a significant role in shaping this trend. Imported ingredients-such as cheese, herbs, and certain sauces-come with substantial costs.

Restaurants that rely solely on imported products struggle to maintain affordable menus. By incorporating local items, they strike a balance, costs drop, but the international appeal remains intact.

A café owner in Gulshan explained, "If I use only imported mozzarella, the pizza will be too expensive for students. But when I mix it with local cheese, it tastes good and stays within reach."

For diners, this approach means they can enjoy global flavours without feeling they are straying too far from the tastes they grew up with.

Ultimately, global food with a local twist resonates with something more profound than just price or convenience-it connects to identity.

A plate of pasta with chilli flakes, or a burger layered with spicy chutney, becomes more than a meal; it's a reflection of how the country embraces the world while holding on tightly to its roots.

Rice and spices remain central. While younger people enjoy both global and local flavours, the older generation often gravitates toward simple, conventional dishes, even when dining out.

Globalisation has not erased local culture. It has created a layered experience where global and regional flavours coexist.

The story is still unfolding. More international chains are entering the market. Entrepreneurs are experimenting with fusion dishes. Meanwhile, traditional food continues to adapt to remain relevant.

Street vendors sell chicken fuchka or chocolate fuchka. Ultimately, incorporating global food into local menus is not about losing identity. It is about negotiation. People can enjoy something new without giving up the old. It illustrates how cultures intersect, blend, and evolve through mutual influence and interaction. In Bangladesh, this process has created a diverse, connected, and modern food scene.

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