What people eat at Durga Puja: khichuri bhog, labra, payesh, phuchka, rolls, mughlai paratha, rosogolla and sandesh, plus why bhog is shared and eaten together.
Khichuri bhog served in leaf bowls at a Durga Puja. Photo: AjayDas, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Bhog is food offered to the deity during the puja. Once it has been offered, what remains becomes prasad, food carrying the goddess's grace, and it is distributed to devotees.
Phuchka, Kolkata's favourite street snack. Photo: TAPAS KUMAR HALDER, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Outside the pandal, Durga Puja is a city-wide night out. Stalls set up along pandal routes, restaurants extend their hours, and old cabins (small, decades-old cafés) see queues.
Night crowds on the pandal trail in Behala. Photo: Snehangshu36, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
No Bengali festival is complete without mishti (sweets). Boxes of sweets are bought for guests, carried on visits and above all exchanged on Bijoya Dashami.
Khichuri bhog served in leaf bowls at a Durga Puja. Photo: AjayDas, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Food customs vary a great deal from family to family, so none of the following applies everywhere:
Phuchka, Kolkata's favourite street snack. Photo: TAPAS KUMAR HALDER, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
For routes, areas and timing, read our pandal hopping tips, and see the 2026 puja dates to plan which day to go for bhog: Maha Ashtami falls on Monday 19 October 2026 and Maha Navami on Tuesday 20 October 2026.
Khichuri bhog served in leaf bowls at a Durga Puja. Photo: AjayDas, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
What people eat at Durga Puja: khichuri bhog, labra, payesh, phuchka, rolls, mughlai paratha, rosogolla and sandesh, plus why bhog is shared and eaten together.
Durga Puja food → Next story: Durga Puja glossary: Bengali puja words explained All photo storiesMusic: Sitar sample yaman, Tito Dutta, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.