You must be a Bengali to know just how powerfully alluring the very thought of a certain fish called Ilish or Hilsa can be! It is enough to make the most obdurate and taciturn Bengali “bhadrolok” & “bhadromohila” wax eloquent about this precious silver darling, that is the blessing of Ma Durga, the gift of Bengal & the most emblematic Bengali soul food! For a Bengali, nothing says “Ami tomake bhalobashi” or “I love you” better than cooking some Ilish maach for your loved one! The Bengali soul and it’s love affair with the heavenly Hilsa fish is the stuff of legends, which unites both “Bangal” and “Ghoti”; “Epar Bangla” and “Opar Bangla”. If you are unable to comprehend this irrational, compulsive love that the Bengalis have for the Hilsa, a fish that belongs to the Herring family, then chances are you are not a Bengali and your opinion is totally rejected! Let me tell you an open secret; most Bengalis do not want non- Bengalis to like the Hilsa fish, because quite frankly, we do not want the prices of the Hilsa fish going up any more than what they already are and Hilsa supplies to dwindle even more!