KOLKATA -- Visitors looking for an authentic Bengali breakfast of luchi-ghugni (fried flatbread and pea or chickpea curry) in the iconic Esplanade neighborhood of Kolkata are likely to find a surprise awaiting them -- the offer of a sweet side dish such as rosogolla (a spongy, syrupy ball of milk) or langcha, oblong-shaped, syrupy deep-fried sweets made of dried milk and chhana (cottage cheese).
Growing up in Hyderabad, southern India, I never saw or heard of sweets being paired with a traditional breakfast. The only exception was the kesari semolina pudding that occasionally found its way onto a plate of dosa (a rice and lentil crepe), or an idli-vada combination served during Tamil weddings and other ceremonies, comprising steamed rice cakes and a doughnut-shaped fried savory or two.
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