Chawkbazar iftar cuisine shows enviable culinary excellence!

In Dhaka's Chawkbazar, brews an air of cross-culture. Beef kebabs and mutton-leg roasts get a sellout thanks to an ever-growing crowd that feels good about attending the Iftar bazaar. Quite a scene of densely packed food stalls with uncountable items is a gentle reminder of markets in Cairo, but more populated. The variety of chicken items will likely blow anyone's mind away. Bangladeshi cuisine with all the meat gone prepped and dressed and ready to be packed - it is hard to deny the influence of age-old practices that shift and lift with time in the iftar lanes. Chawkbazar is not just an iftar market, it offers around a hundred discrepant evening-breakfast items available from various food sellers.

Every year, around twelve thousand people gather to break their fasts in the city of Mashhad in Iran. The iftar arranged in the city of Mashhad is an age-old tale of this cuisine grandeur amplified by the presence of the gourmet participants. Chawkbazaar is one such case in Bangladesh. The iftar market, often claimed by history as the oldest of markets selling the most diverse set of iftar items, is nothing without its quintessential crowd. It is too narrow to think that it is just a market offering the most item varieties, but, it truly is, a celebration of Bangladeshi spicy and fried or sauteed food items of the kind.

When asked, 'Iftar korte puran Dhaka jaba (Want to go to old Dhaka to break your fast)?' will deliver clever responses. Facebook-oriented youngsters will cleverly deny the need to go through all the hassle to sample some food more likely to be put by them as 'oily' or 'unhealthy.' A true foodie would agree, and if invited, Gary Mehigan would likely nod in approval, eager to witness the city's most renowned iftar market-its global fame amplified by the interim government's influence. In 2025, in the presence of Peshwarian, Multani Dera, Lahori Kabab, or Arsalan, and media-pretty faces like Shakib Al Hasan becoming media partners to get businesses to expand, the existence of the famous yet infamous Chawkbazar remains a story endearing of the Mughal era.

Just two years ago, in 2023, the prices of iftar items made from beef and mutton at this Bazaar doubled compared to the previous year. Chicken-based items saw their prices soar by Tk 20 - 50, while that of other items rose by Tk 15 - 30. For instance, Shahi Parota sold at Tk 60-120, chicken kebab at Tk40, and Beef Suti Kabab at Tk1,400 per kg. In 2024, Pakoras soared from 10 to 15 BDT during the same period. These increases were attributed to a 40-percent hike in the cost of raw materials. Shams, a university student, defines the place as 'pretty worthless' to sample quality iftar items due to the hefty pricing, and chances of the items being prepared several days before they are on display. 'Let us not go there, we can do it another way.' While planning an outing with friends, he emphasises buying things from other places and gathering somewhere to break the fast.

The place is one of the oldest markets in the southern half of the capital and has been part of the conversation every Ramadan season due to its historical substance. Compared with the grandness and giganticness of Mashhad, Iran, it is no less, but, comparatively, the Indian subcontinent version of the greatest iftar hosted. Ramadan feels empty in the streets of Puran Dhaka without the iftar delicacies of Chawkbazaar, no matter how problematic the market is or becomes. With more than 200 makeshift shops participating in the market, the entity amplifies itself to the largest kind of its own.

Chawkbazar air breathes itself onto the aroma spreading off of its makeshift setups. Every Ramadan, the accusations of iftar-food adulteration involving the vendors at the bazar nod at the almost unavoidable circumstantial structure of our motherland. The soaring prices of the items there in the emerging hours of iftar are reasons to make us hopeless as we expect that in the holy month of fasting, we deserve a cut and reduction in the regular prices, not otherwise.

Tradition is an element winning over facts in many cases. So is the case in Chawkbazar iftar. The iftar lane in the area is carrying the footsteps of the primordial iftar sales points in this city as old as time. Gen Z terms to describe someone inclined towards trying Chawkbazar as a first trial for iftar will invariably be a bit mean, something like 'must be having skill issues' or 'a noob.' Part of living in Dhaka is succumbing to the oddness of living a life dealing with the abundance of hopelessness, unpleasant living costs, nonchalance to get rid of the hype capture and sleeping through. The Chawkbazar iftar scenes can help us relate to them in its unique ways. These items made from low-quality produce and being sold by makeshift owners at unbelievable prices during Asr prayer hours through Maghrib resemble the unpleasantness of it all. Debates surrounding the origination of iftar items in this hub are insufficient but add to the hype of the market but one must be discreet to avoid it all to neglect the chances of being called a Gen Z demeaning term. To embrace things more peacefully, it is better to simply cook and eat hot or go to a live kitchen to cram down one's cravings. However, it is by no means a bland experience. Even if one visits even once and immerses themselves in the culture and energy of it, while mastering the art of being the most discreet iftar buyer--armed with the keen brown abilities of bargaining, observation, the confidence to walk amidst the crowd, and a penchant for the scent-it can be truly worthwhile.

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