By Mahamudur Rahman Najid

DHAKA, Aug 19, 2025 (BSS) - The food stories of Dhaka city are like colourful myths where amazing aroma of taste and history lies. 

Every alley and every shop of this city is bustling with mouth-watering food.

Along with various types of food, in the business of the day, the noise of festivals or in the middle of a chat, people here find a cold and satisfying sip. Sometimes that sip has the soft sweetness of lacchi, sometimes the light salty coolness of ground and sometimes the royal touch of borhani filled with spices.

The reign of 'Beauty Lassi' has been going on for almost a century on Johnson Road in Old part of the capital Dhaka, where cold, sweet and refreshing iced lacchi is born from the mixture of hand-made yogurt and sugar syrup. 

On the other hand, as the dawn breaks, the smell of matha and channa wafts along the road of Nazira Bazar. 

Shyamal Ghosh's shop sells a hundred of litres of matha in the morning, which keeps the body cool in the heat and helps digestion. And there is Borhani, a royal accompaniment to wedding meals. This spicy yogurt drink, which carries the tradition of the Mughal era, complements the taste of pulao, biryani, and kebab. Borhani is indispensable everywhere, from Dhaka's elite hotels to the biryani shops of Old Dhaka.

These are not just drinks. They are also a cultural accessory deeply intertwined with Dhaka's social life and rituals. At the wedding table, on Eid day, or on a hot afternoon, these three drinks go beyond taste and become unique memoirs. Ancient recipes, shops that have been running for generations, and the stories hidden in every sip, all combine to make them an indispensable part of Dhaka's food tradition today.

Lacchi
Although many things have changed in this ancient city of “52 Bazar and 53 Gali” in the past four hundred years, the famous Beauty Lacchi, which quenches the thirst of the people of Old Dhaka, is still there as before. 

If you walk a little further from Gulistan to Tanti Bazar and from Raisaheb Bazar towards Victoria Park, you will see a small signboard with the words 'Beauty Lacchi' written on it in large letters. 

As soon as you enter the shop, you will see a line of glass glasses. You will see the grand ceremony of making lacchi and sharbat. Hundreds of people are satisfying their thirst on the chairs and tables inside the shop.

It was 1922, when Beauty Lacchi started it from a small “tong” (makeshift) shop at 30/A Johnson Road by construction worker Abdul Aziz. 

After the death of his father, Abdul Gaffar Mia took charge of this shop. Later, after the death of Abdul Gaffar, his two sons Md. Javed Hossain and Md. Manik took charge of the business.

Initially, they started with lemonade but now they offer lacchi, lemonade, special faluda and normal faluda. 

In 2000, they added ‘faluda’ and ‘special faluda’ to their menu to diversify their business. Currently, Beauty Lacchi has branches on Narinda and Kazi Alauddin Road in addition to Johnson Road.

They do not use any advanced technology to refine the curd of Beauty Lacchi. This lacchi is made by hand using cooking tool “dal ghutni’. 

They bring their own sweet and sour curd in clay pots, then, skilled craftsmen make this famous lacchi using specially crushed ice and their own sugar syrup, water and golapjal. 

Currently, a glass of lacchi is available at TK  50. Crushed ice is used in it. Apart from that, special faluda is sold at TK  130. Ordinary faluda is sold at TK 100 and lemonade is sold at TK  20 per glass.

Moslem Uddin, came from Chattogram for business purpose, said, “I have taken lacchi and faluda in many places in Chattogram. But I have never found the flavour like here. I come to Dhaka two or three times every month. I often  drink it. The taste is still the same as it was five or six years ago.”

Nirob Hasan, a lawyer of Dhaka judge court, said, “I come here for peace in hot weather. I come here whenever I get a chance between my work times. Today I brought my colleagues. I have been coming here regularly since I was practicing in the court. I especially like the lemonade. The taste of faluda and lacchi is incomparable.”

Matha

Except for some areas of the capital’s old Dhaka, the mornings are much calmer and quieter than normal days. 

On a normal day, where there is traffic jams and people walking around, the mornings are completely silent. 

There is no traffic jam or noise during the morning hours. In the morning, there is no sound of rickshaws, no hustle and bustle of pedestrians. The shops are all closed, the roads are empty.

 At this time, Ratan Ghosh, a matha seller, arrives at Laxmi Bazar with a bucket and other things on his shoulder. He arranges everything at his designated place and prepares to sell matha and channa. 

As the dawn light turns red, some rickshaws and private cars start moving on the road. Busy people are rushing to their workplaces. Some people are standing at Ratan Ghosh's matha shop again.

The BSS correspondent spoke to the shop's customer Nurul Karim, who works in a private organization.

He said, "I try to drink matha almost every day. I also eat channa. I like the matha here. It has become a habit for me to taste it in the morning. Eating it feels like my body stays cool. Besides, it has its own benefits."

Niloy Akon, a student of Jagannath University, was drinking matha. He also drinks matha often while going to campus.

He said, “I used to drink matha with my father in the morning while going to school. I still drink it with channa. After taking it in the morning, my body no longer feels weak. Drinking matha seems healthy to me.”

Shyamal Ghosh sells matha and channa at the intersection of Nazira Bajar. He has been selling matha in the same place for 38 years. 

Everyone from Dhaka mayor to former US ambassador to Bangladesh Robert Miller came to taste his famous matha. 

There is no Muslim family in Nazira Bazar that has not taken his matha during Ramadan. Shyamal Ghosh used to sell matha at TK  2 per glass at the beginning of his business, but in  course of time, its price is now TK  30. 

His sales start from 6 am and continue till 9 am. He sells over a hundred litres in the morning. Along with matha, he also sells channa. A crowd of customers in front of his shop in the morning is a daily sight.

Sajedul Islam, a businessman from Old Dhaka, said, "This is the best matha I have seen in Dhaka city. I must take this matha in the morning. It tastes different. I come here and drink matha before opening the shop. I definitely need it in the morning. I also take it to my family sometimes.”

Matha seller Shyamal Ghosh said special customers like former mayor of Dhaka and former US ambassador Robert Miller also came to his shop to drink matha. 

“Ten medical teams came and tested my matha before arrival of the US ambassador. They found nothing bad. I have tried to maintain the quality of my matha right from the beginning. That is why buyers still like my matha so much. If you come to drink here at night, you will not find a place. My sales increase several times during the month of Ramadan .”

To get the taste of old Dhaka matha, you have to come here early in the morning. Usually, the sale of matha continues from 5 am to 10 am. 

Apart from Nazira Bazar, matha is available on the streets and in shops in Chawkbazar, Nazimuddin Road, Lalbagh, Amligola, Pakistani Math, Nawabpur, Narinda and Islampur.

Borhani

In Bangladesh, Borhani is a popular and traditional drink, which is served especially in the Muslim community of Bangladesh and West Bengal during weddings, Eid, invitations or other festive occasions. Not only as a drink, but it is also a kind of cultural ritual that is inextricably linked to organizing large meals.

Although there is no specific history about the origin of Borhani, many believe that its roots are rooted in the Mughal period. The Mughals brought not only rich cooking styles to the subcontinent, but also the idea of ??spicy and aromatic drinks. During the Mughal period, the Muslim elite society needed a special drink to keep the body cool and aid digestion after heavy and oily and spice-rich meals. Borhani was probably born from that need.

Today, Borhani is not only part of the food of the elite society, but it is now an essential drink in hotels, restaurants, catering services, and even online food delivery platforms. Borhani is a sought-after item everywhere, from the elite hotels of the capital to the traditional biryani shops of Old Dhaka.

Borhani is usually made with sour curd, water, cumin powder, black pepper, beet salt, chaat masala, mint leaves, mustard, green chillies and lemon juice. Many families and restaurants in Old Dhaka make Borhani with their own secret recipes. This creates a difference in taste. As a result, many foodies go to Old Dhaka just to taste Borhani.

Banker Mohammad Rashed said, "When I go to a wedding invitation, I first check if there is Borhani. The taste of pulao-kabab is complete only when there is a glass of cold Borhani with it. The taste of Borhani in Old Dhaka is different. Here, I really feel like I am getting the real taste."

Old Dhaka resident and teacher Sharmin Akhter said, "Here, Borhani is mainly served at Eid invitations or weddings. I grew up eating Borhani made by my mother since childhood. Even now, when there is a function at home, I make Borhani myself. The guests are very happy and many do not forget to ask for the recipe.”

Socially, Borhani is a symbol of hospitality and culturally it is an integral part of Bangladesh’s food culture. At the wedding table or at the Eid lunch, Borhani not only quenches thirst but also evokes memories, joy and a sense of togetherness among people.