Indians Settling for Less Flavorful Hilsa Amid Shortage of Padma Hilsa

Every year before Durga Puja, fish traders in West Bengal import Padma Hilsa from Bangladesh. Eating Hilsa during Puja is a tradition among Bengalis in India, though it is not tied to any religious ritual.

Each year, a request letter is sent to Dhaka for Hilsa imports, and this time, the West Bengal Fish Importers Association has sent a letter to Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser.

Padma Hilsa is considered the finest, while Meghna Hilsa is also highly flavorful. Hilsa is renowned for its unique aroma, which remains distinct regardless of how it’s cooked, and premium Hilsa has a sweet taste. This distinctive aroma is absent in Hilsa from Gujarat’s Bharuch or Myanmar’s Irrawaddy, though the taste is somewhat comparable. However, West Bengal’s markets are now flooded with Hilsa from Gujarat. Over the past one and a half months, around 4,000 tons of Hilsa have arrived, breaking all previous records. According to fish traders, these Hilsa are sourced from the Narmada and Tapi rivers in Gujarat’s Bharuch region. But their taste has raised concerns, with both traders and Hilsa enthusiasts criticizing their lack of flavor, as reported by BBC. Senior Kolkata journalist and author of several food books, Surobek Biswas, compares it to the difference between legendary actor Uttam Kumar and modern actors. “Padma’s enchanting Hilsa is in a league of its own compared to Gujarat’s Hilsa,” he says. He explains that Padma and Meghna Hilsa have a unique aroma and sweet taste, which Gujarat’s Hilsa lacks entirely. Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Hilsa is similar to Gujarat’s in this regard. With Padma and Meghna Hilsa unavailable and local supplies from West Bengal and Odisha scarce, Gujarat’s Hilsa has become a common choice for many in West Bengal. High-quality Hilsa is still available near the Bhagirathi River’s estuary in Nischindapur, but the Rupnarayan River, once a source of local Hilsa, no longer yields the fish. Biswas notes that Nischindapur’s Hilsa is excellent in taste and aroma, making it the best alternative when Bangladesh’s Hilsa is unavailable. Odisha’s Hilsa from the Buri Balam River estuary is also delicious and larger in size, but its supply is limited this year, according to traders. Meanwhile, much of the Hilsa in local markets consists of juvenile fish (Jatka). Binod Jaiswal, a trader at Howrah’s wholesale fish market, says, “The Fisheries Department has instructed us not to sell Jatka, and we know catching them is prohibited. Yet, large quantities of small Hilsa, weighing 150-200 grams, are being sold from fish markets in Diamond Harbour and Raideghi. The administration is turning a blind eye, and this is destroying the Hilsa stock.”