New Hope Birmingham has received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for an exciting project, ‘Preserving the Cultural History of Bangladeshi Food’, in Birmingham. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project focuses on recording and exploring the cultural heritage of cooking Bangladeshi food in South Asian communities in Birmingham.

 

The project will enable younger and elder members of the community to join heritage workshops, which will introduce the long and proud history of Bangladeshi cuisine, and the culture of cooking Bangladeshi food. The volunteers will record oral history interviews and document the materials and methods behind traditional dishes. They will also help translate and transcribe interviews and write a book based on their research. Staff and volunteers will have the opportunity to undertake training on oral history interviewing and archive skills.

 

Traditional Bengali cuisine is a comprehensive cultural model comprising of farming, ritual practices, seasonal variations, age-old skills, culinary techniques and ancestral community customs and manners. It is made possible by collective participation in the entire traditional food chain: from planting and harvesting to cooking and eating. From the culinary point of view, some major historical trends influenced Bengali food.

 

Commenting on the award, Mohammed Foiz Uddin MBE, the Chairman of New Hope Birmingham said, “We are overwhelmed with joy to receive this support for our project from the Heritage Lottery Fund. We would like to thank National Lottery players for their help and support to uphold the cultural history of Bangladeshi food in Birmingham communities.”