Economy, Climate, Language, Food & Drinks of Bangladesh
BANGLADESH ECONOMY
The total cultivable area of Bangladesh is around 24 million acres and there are over 17.5 million cultivators. The principal crops are Jute (0.947 million ton), rice (178.5 million tons), wheat (1.00 million tons), tea (101.15 million pound), sugarcane (7.68 million tons) and tobacco (0.34 million tons), etc. GNP at constant factor cost is 810835.00 million taka, Per capita Income (GNP) at factor cost is 7220.00 taka.
LANGUAGE
Bangla is the state language but English is widely spoken and understood.
The percentage of literacy is about 22.2%.
CLIMATE
Bangladesh is hot and humid in summer and cool in winter. During the monsoon, it rains heavily-average rainfall being 136.42". The climate is characterised by moderately high temperature for about eight months in the year, maximum temperature in summer ranges between 30°C and 38°C, while the minimum during the winter is 9°C.
FOOD & DRINKS
Western food is available in all major hotels and most of the big restaurants in import cities. But local dishes are normally far better and more exotic. Curries of many kinds around, cooked with proper spices and hot curry powders, including Korma, Rezala, Bhoona and Masala Gosht, Chicken, mutton, beef, fish and prawns, Chicken Afghani, Chicken Baghdadi, Chicken Kashmiri, Chicken Tikka, boti kabab, shutli kabab and a variety of fish curries should be tried. Rice in the form of pulao,
biriani-with rice and mutton or chicken and khichuri are available in any reasonable restaurant. Those who do not care for rice dishes can try mughlai parata, plain parata or naan, which go very well with curries. Seafood and sweet-water fish are available in most of the towns. Fish-lovers should not miss smoked hilsa, fresh bhetki and chingri (lobster/king prawns) malaikari, Prawn dopyaza.
Drinks
Cha: The milky sweet tea available almost everywhere, Lassi: the refreshing yogurt drink. Green coconut water is a fine, safe and refreshing drink. International soft drinks, such as Pepsi, Coca Cola, Fanta, 7-up, Mirinda and Sprite are readilly available. Hard drinks are available in big hotels. On Fridays drinking in public areas is not recommended for foreigners.
Desserts Misti Dhohi: Sweetened yougurt, Halua: a common dessert ranging from egg halua to carrot, sooji or wheat cream, almond, pistachio, nuts and so on. Sandesh: a milk based dessert, one of the best available. Zorda: Sweetened rice with nuts. Firni: rice flour cooked in milk, sugar and flavourant. Rasgolla & Kalojam: two popular milk-based desserts and made with sugar, flour and ghee. Ros Malai: round sweets floating in a thick milk. Pitha: a blanket term for cakes or pastries including specific varieties such as chitoi, dhupi, takti, andsoha, puli, bhapa and pua
