As dusk settles over the city and the evening prayers echo from the Nakhoda Masjid during the holy month of Ramzan, Zakaria Street in Chitpur — one of Kolkata's oldest neighbourhoods — comes alive with the sweet, smokey smell of desi ghee on burning hot charcoal; of aromatic spices, and delicious kebabs, haleem, and halwa. Tucked away in the labyrinthine by-lanes and back-alleys of Central Kolkata's Burrabazar business district, this historic street, that leads to the largest mosque in eastern India, is one of Kolkata's most iconic street food hubs.
Zakaria Street gets its name from the 19th-century Cutchi Memon merchant-mariner Haji Zakaria. The Cutchi Memons were a community of Gujarati Muslim merchant-mariners who settled in Kolkata in the 1820s and became involved in the thriving shipping and trading industry which emerged around Kolkata (then Calcutta), an important port city and the capital of British India at the time. As the head of the community, Zakaria was the custodian of the community's places of worship, and he commissioned the construction of the Nakhoda Masjid, or the 'Mariners Mosque', in 1854. The construction of the mosque was completed by Abdul Rahim Osman and other prominent members of the Cutchi Memon community in 1926, and the street leading to the mosque was renamed after Zakaria sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century.
Today, Zakaria Street is one of Kolkata's many iconic street food hubs. From the beginning of Ramzan till Eid ul-Fitr, over one hundred temporary street food stalls serving Mughlai, Awadhi, and Afghan cuisine-inspired kebabs, haleem, halwa, sewai, lachcha paratha, sheermal, and bakarkhani roti (a traditional flatbread) pop up all along Zakaria Street from Rabindra Sarani to Central Avenue. Although initially the stalls mostly catered to the Muslim devotees who visited the Nakhoda mosque for prayers and wanted a quick and wholesome Sehri or Iftar meal in-between hours of fasting, Zakaria Street has since become a favourite haunt of epicurean Kolkatans looking for their fix of great street food, irrespective of religious affiliation.
The ideal time to visit Zakaria Street is during the holy month of Ramzan. Usually, this also happens to be the time when temperatures soar in Kolkata, so be prepared: wear breathable clothes and comfortable shoes, ideally sneakers. Although there are several popular restaurants on Zakaria Street like Sufia, Aminia, Dilli 6, Bashir Hotel, and Royal India Hotel, the best food on Zakaria Street is often found in the temporary stalls that pop up only during Ramzan. To explore all the food, dry fruits, attar (traditional perfume), and everything else Zakaria Street has to offer, begin walking from the crossing of Zakaria Street and Central Avenue towards Rabindra Sarani. You just might discover your next favourite kebab in Kolkata or a wonderful perfume for your lover.
At a time when communal harmony and interfaith fraternity in India and the rest of the subcontinent is facing significant threats from the reactionary forces of religious fundamentalism, Zakaria Street remains an oasis of Hindu-Muslim unity in the face of unprecedented levels of zealotry. It stands testament to the power of good food to eradicate not only hunger, but also hate.
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