Say cheese for Bandel: Here's what you need to know about this homegrown version of cheese

Pizza topped with Bandel cheese at Recca

When we think of cheese, Swiss versions usually come to mind but India has a few homegrown versions too, and Bandel is one of them. Crumbly like feta and salty in taste, the cheese curd from West Bengal is made in two ways - salted and smoke-cured.

On May 10 this year, chef Ranveer Brar posted a recipe titled, mixed veg with cheese, on his YouTube channel. In it, he featured the home-grown cheese variant. A few weeks later, he launched a petition on Change.org titled, Let's get Bandel cheese its due. In the petition, Brar recounts his conversation with Palash Ghosh, from Chak Chand village in West Bengal, who belongs to the only family that is still making the 500-year-old Bandel cheese from a recipe passed down by the Portuguese.

Brar is rooting to get the cheese a Geographical Indication (GI) tag by raising support to revive this indigenous dish, "Bandel's smoked version was also introduced by the Dutch who wanted to make it last longer and carry this delicacy down the many sea routes," Brar adds.

Bandel cheese roundels

Saurav Gupta of The Whole Hog Deli, Kolkata, has been working with the Ghosh family for the past decade trying to market the delicacy. "The cheese is handmade without the use of machines. It is made using only cow's milk, without including water or artificial ingredients. Salt and smoked curing are its natural preservatives," he says. Gupta reveals that the family makes about 6,000 pieces every month; each disc weighs 25gm and costs R 20 each. "Before consumption, the cheese needs to be soaked in water to remove excess salt," says Gupta, adding that currently, the West Bengal government's Department of Science and Technology, along with the Jadavpur University's Food Technology Department, are conducting research on it. "The Hooghly District Administration has formed a committee to obtain the GI tag. A few private investors are also forming a company with Ghosh as one of the shareholders," he says.

Chef Ranveer Brar

Bandel with the best

The cheese has also been spotted on several food and beverage menus. Asansol-born chef Sabyasachi Gorai, who ran Lavaash in Delhi till the pandemic, and currently curates pop-ups and catering events, recalls seeing it in bazaars. "I give all credit to chef Shaun Kenworthy for inspiring me to use it in commercial cooking. We began cooking together in 2004 at pop-ups where he used it extensively. At Lavaash, we served Anglo-Indian dishes that used cheese from Bandel and Kalimpong," shares Gorai, who consulted on the opening menu for Recca in Kala Ghoda, where he introduced a pizza with Bandel topping.

Chef Sabyasachi Gorai, Palash Ghosh, Bandel cheese maker and Chef Ruchira Hoon, Ek Bar

"After the roundel of Bandel cheese is soaked to remove excess salt, we crumble it. Salted cheese is used to flavour wraps, rolls and sandwiches. We also use it as a pizza topping. Being extra salty, we neutralise it with another cheese. It's ideal for cheese sauce and cheese platters. But we add lots of nuts, sweeten it with jaggery, or flavour it with kasundi mustard," Gorai explains.

Cheese that crumbles

However, Bandel's popularity is limited. "The Portuguese taught the process to the Ghosh family. But it's not very accessible as they don't share the recipe. It's tricky for other cheesemongers to learn it, and thus the cheese becomes expensive everywhere else, except in Kolkata. I wish more people knew the recipe," rues Ruchira Hoon, brand chef of Ek Bar, Delhi. She uses plain Bandel, because of its crumbly, feta-like texture and salty taste, in salads or in pies, in cheese platters or to stuff in naans. To enhance the flavour, she pairs it with mango chilli dressing or grapes. "The smoked Bandel variety is a must for Indian, artisanal cheese platters, especially if you want to showcase India. It is much harder than feta but cuts better. Texture-wise, it doesn't resemble paneer or halloumi but a gruyere."

Till date, 17,165 people have signed Brar's petition; the target is to reach 25,000. From six families who made the cheese 40 years ago in West Bengal, the number has dwindled down to the Ghosh family. "The family moved to Bankura district, and the cheesemaker had to take up a job as a security guard for a salary of '10,000," reveals Brar. That's when the chef sent his crew to Kolkata to shoot with him for a day. The video grabbed the attention of the state government. "The government is supporting us to shift things back to Bandel so the GI tag can be fast-tracked. We're also checking if the other families in the area wish to return to their tradition," Brar signs off.

Source Guide

>> Buy it: Cheese monger Mansi Jasani also sources Bandel cheese. You can also order it from Saurabh Gupta.
Log on to @thecheese-collective on Instagram Call 7042225800 (Gupta)

>> Eat it: Pulled lamb
Bandel is grated on the pizza which lends the pizza a smoky bite.
At: Recca, Kala Ghoda Society, K Dubash Marg, Fort.
Call: 8433737366
Cost: Rs 675