WilliamsLin216 at 02:51, 25 April 2026

2026-04-25T02:51:51Z

New page

{{Short description|Bengali mustard sauce}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Kasundi
| image = Fish Cutlets.JPG
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| caption = Fish [[Cutlet#Indian cuisine|cutlet]] and kasundi
| alternate_name = Kashundi
| type = [[Condiment]]
| course = [[Sauce]]/[[Dip (food)|Dip]]
| country = [[Bengal]]
| region = [[Bengal]]
| national_cuisine = [[Bengali cuisine|Bengal]]
| creator = 
| year =
| mintime =
| maxtime =
| served =
| main_ingredient = [[Mustard (condiment)|Mustard]]
| minor_ingredient = Mustard, spices, salt
| variations = Aubergine Kasundi, Tomato Kasundi
| serving_size =
| calories =
| calories_ref =
| protein =
| fat =
| carbohydrate =
| glycemic_index =
| similar_dish = [[Dijon mustard]], [[Creole mustard]]
| other =
}}

'''Kasundi''' ({{langx|bn|কাসুন্দি}}) is the Bengali variety of [[Mustard (condiment)|mustard]] sauce or relish. It has the pungent paste of fermented mustard seeds, spices and sometimes dried mangoes, dried Indian plum and olives. Kasundi is popular as a dipping sauce in Bengali cuisine.

==Description==
[[File:Herb seared tuna carpaccio, kasundi relish, cucumber, watercress mayonnaise (3208787137).jpg|thumb|left|Kasundi and tuna [[carpaccio]]]]

Kasundi is a mustard sauce made by fermenting mustard seeds, and is much stronger and sharper than other kinds of mustard sauce.<ref name=Pri/><ref>Dueep Jyot Singh and John Davidson, ''The Magic of Mustard'', pages 24-25, Mendon Cottage Books, 2016, {{ISBN|1311475745}}</ref> It is highly pungent, and is capable of exciting the nasal passage and bringing tears to the eyes in the same way as [[wasabi]].<ref name=Bor/><ref name=Tanu/> The descriptions by famous chefs outside Bengal as the “answer to the ketchup”, “ketchup with a lot more going on”, or “a rich, unctuous tomato sauce of Indian origin” are based, according to food writer Pritha Sen, on mistaken notions.<ref name="Pri">{{Cite web |last=Sen |first=Pritha |date=2015-12-13 |title=For the love of food: A grave danger stalks the Kasundi |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/for-the-love-of-food-a-grave-danger-stalks-the-kasundi/ |access-date=2025-07-12 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>

In modern times, Kasundi is popularly served with Bengali snacks like cutlets and chops, and deep-fried spicy treats, as it brings tartness and pungency to the flavours. It also can be served as a dip with other snacks, as well as sandwiches, pizzas, burgers, omelettes, salads and other food.<ref name=Bor/> But, traditionally it was served neither with these treats nor in such quantities at home. In the past, it was stored with care, served sparingly and in small quantities, and paired with hot stir-fried greens, never fish or meat.<ref name=Bor>Plavaneeta Borah, [http://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/durga-puja-2017-special-kasundi-bengali-cuisine-s-favourite-mustard-sauce-1754134 Durga Puja 2017 Special: Kasundi, Bengali Cuisine's Favourite Mustard Sauce], September 25, 2017</ref><ref name="Tanu">{{Cite news |last=Bhowmick |first=Tanushree |date=2017-03-04 |title=The rediscovery of kasundi |url=http://www.livemint.com/Sundayapp/bVcHPMCTLZAeqxztuIFWXN/The-rediscovery-of-kasundi.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250125193814/https://www.livemint.com/Sundayapp/bVcHPMCTLZAeqxztuIFWXN/The-rediscovery-of-kasundi.html |archive-date=2025-01-25 |access-date=2025-04-02 |work=mint |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> The practice of pairing kasundi with non-vegetarian dishes evolved in the commercial eateries, beginning with batter-fried fish.<ref name=Bor/><ref name=Tanu/>

Kasundi has always been a revered fixture of Bengali households, its making used to be almost a religious rite, with many restrictions and rituals.<ref name=Swap>Swapna Pradhan, ''Retailing Management'', page 294, Tata McGraw-Hill Education, 2009, {{ISBN|007015256X}}</ref><ref name=Tanu/> With modern household appliances becoming commonplace, its preparation is no longer a complex ritual.<ref name=Pri/> It also is now industrially produced, and widely available in eateries as a sauce and supermarkets as a bottled condiment.<ref name=Bor/><ref name=Tanu/><ref name=Swap/> Among the bottled kasundis, those following the recipe of [[Bikrampur]], in undivided [[Bengal]] is reported to be the best.<ref name=Pri/><ref name=Tanu/> Kasundi has spread outside Bengal, across India and into the Pacific Ocean countries like Australia (popular as eggplant kasundi) and New Zealand (popular as tomato kasundi). In Australia and New Zealand, kasundi is often part of the [[Hamper#Christmas hamper|Christmas gift hamper]].<ref name=Bor/><ref name=Tanu/> Around the world many different recipes of kasundi are available, like Kasundi Scotch Eggs, Chilean Sea Bass, Spicy Barramundi or Chhana Aam Kasundi Paturi.<ref>Anjan Chatterjee, [https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/food/the-inglorious-mustard/cid/1719741 The inglorious mustard], ''Telegraph India'', 2020-09-22</ref>

==Origin==

Kasundi was originally used as a type of ''achar'' (literally "ritual", meaning [[chutney]]/[[Pickling|pickle]]), though it was not necessarily the same sauce known today. Kasundi was the queen of pickles in Bengal, because it remained edible for up to 20 years if stored in right conditions.<ref name=Pri/> In the past, the Bengali pickle-making season began in the month of [[Magh (Bengali calendar)|Magh]] (January–February), which also is the mustard harvesting time. [[Jujube]] (''kul'') were the first pickles to be made, followed by [[tamarind]], and then mustard. Mustard was pickled before the [[monsoon]] arrived, with various indigenous fruits and greens such as coriander, pudina or amrul. The pickling of mustard followed, in preparation for the monsoons. Any pickling that was done with dry, ground mustard, with or without using mustard oil, was called a kasundi.<ref name=Pri/>

==Traditions==
[[File:A fish kabiraji.jpg|thumb|A fish Kabiraji on a plantain leaf plate served with Kasundi]]
Originally kasundi-making was the prerogative of the [[Brahmin]] caste and relished by the elites. Later respected families were allowed to make kasundi following auspicious rituals while maintaining a high level or hygiene and purity. It was mostly made by women who were considered appropriate, as widows, spinsters and menstruating women were barred from taking any part.<ref name=Pri/><ref name=Bor/><ref name=RMS/><ref name=Tanu/> Those who cleaned, husked and prepared the kasundi were not allowed to taste any bitter or sour food.<ref name=URay/>

Families were forbidden to make kasundi in the month of a birth or the year of a death in the family, or if some tragedy had occurred to them in the past while making kasundi. For families who were not forbidden, failing to make kasundi in a particular year meant they would be forbidden to make any in the next 12 years. The way to avoid that was to give away mustard seeds to a Brahmin.<ref name=Tanu/><ref name=Pri/>

Renuka Devi Chaudhurani, [[doyenne]] of Bengali cuisine,<ref>[https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/others/leisure/the-road-from-game-pies-to-gujiyas/articleshow/60039410.cms The road from game pies to gujiyas], Mumbai Mirror, Aug 13, 2017</ref> wrote in her book ''Stree Achaar'' ("women's rituals") that it was mandatory that a Brahmin makes it, not the women of the household. The women were allowed only to wash, dry and pound the mustard seeds, which were then given to the Brahmins. For families that had women making it, the role of the Brahmin was still important in setting the time of kasundi making, lighting the fire to boil water for kasundi and putting the water-filler earthenware pot on the stove.<ref name=Tanu/>

==Process and rituals==

The long and tedious ritualistic kasundi making process used to begin on the day of [[Akshaya Tritiya]] (the day of prosperity and worship of goddess [[Laxmi]] in late April-early May). The weather of the season, after the mustard harvesting and drying season in winter, was considered optimal weather for fermentation — not too cold to delay the process, nor hot or humid enough to spoil the kasundi.<ref name=Tanu/><ref name=Bor/><ref name=URay>Utsa Ray, ''Culinary Culture in Colonial India'', page 135, Cambridge University Press, 2015, {{ISBN|110704281X}}</ref> It took more than a week to make kasundi.<ref name=Pri/> Pickle-making in Bengal had to be done in a certain chronology following the harvests. ⁠''Kul-er achar'' (pickled Indian jujube) was made first, followed by ''tentul-er achar'' (pickled tamarind), ''aam-er achar'' (pickled mango) and finally the kasundi, right before the monsoons arrived.<ref name=AnaBa>Ananya Baruah, [https://www.thebetterindia.com/200958/kasundi-mustard-sauce-queen-of-pickles-bengal-traditional-food-india/ Queen of Pickles: Why Bengal’s Explosive Kasundi Is The Stuff of Food Legends], The Better India, 2019-10-23</ref>

Black and yellow mustard seeds were first thoroughly washed and drained.<ref name=Bor/><ref name=Tanu/> The washing of mustard seeds was endowed with ceremonial importance in many parts of Bengal, where all the mustard seeds to be consumed by the family during the coming year were washed in one go on the day of Akshaya Tritiya. Mustard processing was ceremonially prohibited after that day.<ref name=RMS/> Washing the mustard had its own set of rituals — groups of married women bathed in odd numbers, then washed mustard seeds facing east wearing still wet [[saree]]s. They sang and chanted for wealth, health and well-being while washing. Mustard was washed in a pond or a river, though washing it under a tap is an acceptable alternative in the modern days. For washing and straining a man's dhoti was used, not a woman's saree.<ref name=Tanu/>

After sunning, it was sifted.<ref name=RMS/> The mustard was then brought back into the house amid much [[ululation]] and lit up [[Diya (lamp)|ghee-lamps]] after it has been presented to the gods. Five kinds of fruits, two unripe mangoes on the same stem, [[betel leaf]], [[betel nut]], [[Cynodon dactylon|Bermuda grass]] (''dhoob'') and paddy were also offered to gods along with the mustard.<ref name=Tanu/> Next the mustard was ground, often with spices, into a fine pulp.<ref name=RMS/> Moderation was needed when adding spice, as over-spicing could spoil the kasundi.<ref name=Tanu/> The seeds were pounded for two to three days to take away the bitterness and introduce the pungency (''jhaanjh'').<ref name=Pri/> Meanwhile, water from the same pond or river in which it had been washed was boiled for a fairly long time in a freshly made earthenware pot.<ref name=RMS>Rebati Mohan Sarkar, ''Through the Vistas of Life and Lore'', page 558, Punthi Pustak, 2000, {{ISBN|8186791221}}</ref> A little hot water and salt were added to make a paste,<ref name=Bor/> sometimes with one or two green mangoes dropped into the preparation, and paste was put in a new earthenware pot in the main house of the family by a woman of the family who had a living husband. One could touch the earthenware pots only after bathing and putting on fresh clothes.<ref name=RMS/><ref name=Tanu/>

Mustard in the sealed pot was then left to ferment for about two days in a cool place.<ref name=Tanu/> This is the time when the flavours developed - the distinctive pungency, the subtle tang and the spicy notes of an ideal preparation.<ref name=Bor/> Once it had slightly fermented, the pots were opened and offered to pregnant women, who were in their third trimester, as ''[[Sadhbhakshan|shaadh]]''. The ritual also involved giving the pregnant women their favourite foods, along with their elders' blessing.<ref name=Tanu/> After that it was bottled and sunned for a few more days. If made under the right conditions, kasundi remained edible for years.<ref name=Pri/>

Three or four days later, on an auspicious day of the week (i.e. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday), a part of the prepared kasundi was put into a small, new earthenware pot with a spirit, a religious rite. Then the pot was covered and sanctimoniously put in a safe place in the house to be opened on the first day of the month of [[Asharh]] (June–July). On the first day of the month of Asadh, fish was prohibited for all the members of the family. On that day Goddess [[Parvati]] is worshipped as [[Nistarini]] (lit. "one who delivers from difficulties") by women of high caste Hindu families of some districts of Bengal.<ref name=RMS/>

==Types of kasundi==
[[File:Tomato kasundi (8324428905).jpg|thumb|Tomato kasundi]]

Different households traditionally had their own unique recipe and closely guarded process of making kasundi, though the differences lie more or less in the use of spices.<ref name=Tanu/><ref name=Bor/> Some families prepared kasundi with just salt, ground mustard, dry chillies, [[turmeric]] and [[mustard oil]]. Others used combinations of different dry and ground spices like [[black caraway]] (''kalonji''), [[fennel]], [[Trachyspermum roxburghianum|wild celery]] (''radhuni shaak'') seed, [[ajwain]], [[long pepper]] (''pippali''), chilli, black pepper, [[fenugreek]] (''methi''), clove, [[Elettaria cardamomum|green]] and [[black cardamom]], [[cumin]] (''jeera''), [[coriander]] (''dhonia''), [[nutmeg]] (''jaiphal''), [[Mace (spice)|mace]] (''javitri''), [[Java pepper]] (''kabab chini''), dried mango, dried kul etc.<ref name="Pri"/><ref name=Bor/>

Chaudhurani mentions a dozen spices that were added to the kasundi, including green and black cardamom, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, mace, long pepper, chillies, black pepper and wild celery seeds.<ref name=Tanu/> It also was made with a combination of fruits like [[mango]], [[tamarind]], [[indian jujube]] (''kul'') or [[Spondias pinnata|hog plum]] (''amda'').<ref name=Pri/> The base kasundi is used to make [[tomato]]-kasundi, unripe [[mango]]-kasundi and other variations.<ref>Aliza Green, ''The Magic of Spice Blends'', page 105, Quarry Books, 2015, {{ISBN|163159074X}}</ref><ref>Satarupa Banerjee, ''101 Ways to Prepare Kababs'', pages 33-34, Pustak Mahal, 2001, {{ISBN|8122306977}}</ref>

===Jhal kasundi===
The most popular variant of kasundi is the plain kasundi that is also known as ''Jhal Kasundi'' (fiery kasundi). While different homes had different recipes, the simplest one was made with dry ground mustard seeds (both black and yellow, taken from the newest crop), water, salt and haldi. The more complex recipes used to have minuscule amounts of 12 masalas – haldi, dried red chilli, [[bay leaf]], coriander, cumin, fennel, pepper, ginger, [[Trachyspermum roxburghianum|wild celery]] (''randhuni''), cinnamon, javitri or green cardamom and [[Nigella sativa|fennel flower]] (''kalonji'') – sometimes added with a paste of green mango as a souring agent. It had to be made with strictly sanitised conditions for fear of the sauce going bad, and therefore could not be made in humid weather.<ref name=Pri/>

===Phool kasundi===

As Bengali kitchens as a principle would not let anything go to waste, the coarse pulp left behind after sieving the mustard was finely ground again and mixed with more mustard to make what is known as phool kasundi.<ref name=RMS/><ref name=Tanu/> This was also regarded as a part of the rites of making kasundi.<ref name=RMS/> With phool kasundi, more chilli, turmeric, green mango and salt were added to make a grainier, bolder, fuller-bodied and spicier sauce. The rest of the process was similar to regular kasundi, except in households where Brahmins made the kasundi the women of the household would make phool kasundi. Also, while kasundi was traditionally not used in cooking or served with fish or meat, phool kasundi was used to prepare [[shukto]], the Bengali vegetable stew, and [[machher Jhol]], the quintessential soup-like fish curry. Modern kasundi available at stores are sometimes indetified as run-down, industrial versions of phool kasundi.<ref name=Tanu/>

===Gota kasundi===

Gota kasundi is made with a large number of dry spices along with dried kul or dried mangoes that were powdered and stored. It is sprinkled over cooked vegetables or [[saag]]s for enhanced flavor.<ref name=Pri/>

===Tomato kasundi===

Tomato kasundi or ''Tamtar kasundi'' is typically a spicy and savory tomato and mustard chutney. It is used as a condiment and dipping sauce for foods and dishes such as [[paratha]] and [[naan]] and fried foods such as [[samosa]]s and [[pakora]]s. It is also used as a [[spread (food)|spread]] on sandwiches and grilled meats.<ref name="Green 2015">{{cite book | last=Green | first=A. | title=The Magic of Spice Blends: A Guide to the Art, Science, and Lore of Combining Flavors | publisher=Quarry Books | year=2015 | isbn=978-1-63159-074-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H3xsCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA105 | access-date=October 27, 2017 | page=105}}</ref>

===Aam kasundi===
Mango kasundi or ''aam kasundi'' is one of the more popular kasundi variants.<ref name=SomS>Somdatta Saha, [https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/aam-kasundi-know-how-to-make-this-bengalis-treasured-mango-mustard-sauce-at-home-2213489 Aam Kasundi: Know How To Make This Bengali's Treasured Mango-Mustard Sauce At Home], NDTV Food, 2020-04-21</ref> It is made from mustard seeds, hot red chillies, garlic, salt, and shredded mango.<ref name=cooksi>[https://www.cooksinfo.com/kasundi Kasundi], Cook's Info, 2011-05-05</ref> Green mango (''kacchi kairi'') is used to make chutneys, pickles, as well as different kind of curries, daal, besides aam kasundi. Aam kasundi is enjoyed as a spread, a dip or an accompaniment with a wide range of food including sandwich, roll, burger and fritters. It is also used to marinate chicken or fish with while making curry. Aam kasundi is available in markets like regular kasundi, but doesn't taste or smell as fresh as the home-cooked varieties.<ref name=SomS/>

===Eggplant kasundi===

Eggplant kasundi is made of eggplant (brijal or aubergine), pepper, cumin, black sesame seed, mustard seed, curry leaves, lemon juice, tamarind paste, [[ghee]], and chillies. The ingredients are simmered together until a thick sauce emerges.<ref name=cooksi/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Bengali cuisine]]
[[Category:Sauces]]
[[Category:Chutney]]
[[Category:Indian cuisine]]

Kasundi - Revision history

WilliamsLin216 at 02:51, 25 April 2026