The 4 states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal grouped together with the union territory Andaman and Nicobar Islands in middle of Bay of Bengal, forms Eastern India.
The Eastern zone has a diverse terrain – from the Himalayan terrain of Darjeeling, to the Gangetic plain of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, the partly elevated land (plateau) of Jharkhand and Odisha and lastly to the eastern ghat – the beaches of Digha and Puri which merge into the Bay of Bengal. And of course, not forgetting the beautiful Islands of Andaman and Nicobar.
Eastern India is rich both historically and culturally.
Eastern India – shares the international border with Nepal, Bhutan in the north and Bangladesh in the east.
It is bounded by Sikkim in the north, Assam in the east, Andhra Pradesh in the south, and Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh in the west.
The islands of Andaman & Nicobar are located in the Bay of Bengal on the eastern side of the mainland India.
Farming in the Eastern India
Topographically the eastern India is predominately an agricultural region, with the Ganges flowing through the three states of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal fertilizing the plain with alluvial soil. Rice and wheat are the major crops.
A small part of Odisha and Jharkhand lie in the rich black soil of the Deccan plateau which is good for growing cotton. Odisha is one of the largest producers of rice.
Jharkhand, is the 8th largest pulse producing state of India.
Although eastern India has fertile land and ground water in abundance, they are not as productive as they should have been in agricultural development, due to the unpredictable floods and monsoons.
The Himalayan terrain of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri are known for their high quality of tea production in India.
Food:
The staple food of this region is mainly rice, fish and dal. The region is blessed with many rivers including river Ganga and fresh water fish is abundant in these areas. For these areas, fish and dal are equally important and both occupy a significant place in their menu. West Bengal and Odisha share the coastal areas of Bay Bengal, so sea food is popular there. There are lots of vegetables and fruits in these areas too.
Let us explore the cooking of dal in Eastern India alphabetically… starting with Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and then the rest … Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal.
Happy reading !
Coming up next ……Dal from Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
*****
Dal On The Table 
Eagerly waiting for the recipes 😀
LikeLike
love your recipes so very much… ingredients are easily available yet the taste is such a unique one…Thanks again…
LikeLike