There is a widespread notion that while talking about Hilsa with Bengalis, one must keep a bucket handy to hold their rush of saliva. That is, of course, an exaggeration. Not all Bengalis are crazy about Iilish as Hilsa is known. It is more of an East Bengal phenomenon. People of West Bengal, or 'Ghoti-s', as they are called, do like Hilsa but don’t get into raptures over it. Whereas for a "Bangal" -- people originating from the erstwhile East Bengal (now Bangladesh), Hilsa is not just a fish, it is a cult and part of the collective Bangladeshi consciousness. You can take Bangladeshis out of Bangladesh -- but you cannot take the love of Iilish out of them no matter which corner of the world they reside in.
Hilsa has been officially declared as the 'national fish' of Bangladesh. The country produces over five lakh tons of Hilsa, which constitutes eighty-five percent of Hilsa supplies in the world. But the species is not unique to Bangladesh.
Other than India, it is found in Myanmar, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and, also, in the Persian Gulf -- Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain. It is essentially an estuarine fish belonging to the herring family that travels upstream on the river to spawn during monsoons. In India, apart from the Ganga Delta of Bengal, lower Brahmaputra in Assam, Mahanadi in Odisha, Godavari in Andhra Pradesh -- one does find Hilsa in the Narmada on the West Coast that are sold in Mumbai as Pala. But just like Norwegian Salmon or the Pacific Tuna, there is no dispute that Bangladeshi Hilsa is the gold standard and barring the ones in the Hooghly (or Ganges) nothing comes close to it.
Thanks to the skyrocketing price of Iilish and restrictions on exports by Bangladesh of late some Hilsa from Myanmar and Gulf have been making their way into the Kolkata market. Between the two Irrawaddy Hilsa is passable. Myanmar is, in fact, the second largest exporter of Hilsa and is often found in Bangladeshi stores in the US, where it scores over the Potomac Shad that the Bengali diaspora had to make do in the past. But ones that come via Dubai are barely recognisable distant cousins of the Bengal Hilsa.
In West Bengal, traditionally, Iilish has been a seasonal fish. The 'ghotis', in general, thrive on smaller fishes that breed in ponds and some larger varieties like Rohu and Bhetki that are farmed inland fisheries in brackish water. They are partial towards the Chingri of all sizes and strains -- Bagda (Tiger Prawns), Galda (Baby Lobsters), Chabra and Kucho (Shrimps) found inland and the coast of the Bay of Bengal.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, being a riverine country with massive river systems has a crop of large fishes like Aar, Boal and Chitol. So, there is a fundamental difference in the piscine preference on the two sides of the border.
The 'ghotis' have a limited range of Iilish preparations. In West Bengal, Iilish usually comprises only a part of a meal along with other varieties of fish, meat and vegetable preparations. Whereas Bangladeshis often have Iilish cooked in multiple forms as different courses of the same meal. So a Bangladeshi meal can start with Iilish 'Bhorta' made with dried Hilsa, Ilisher Deem (Fried Fish Roe), Illish Machher Petty Bhaja (Fried Hilsa Belly), Iilish Macher Matha with Kochu-saag (Hilsa Fish Head with Taro Leaves and Stem), Illishe er Tel Jhaal or Iilish Shroshe Bata (Hilsa Curry in Oil or Mustard Sauce) and end with Iilish Macher Tok (Hilsa Chutney). This is excluding some of the exotic preparations made on special occasions. As per one count, Bangladeshis have over two hundred recipes of Hilsa.
The 'Ghotis' are less adventurous with the Iilish. As unitary families are further shrinking with the children flying off the nest and home cooks becoming scarcer, Hilsa lunches are becoming popular in the clubs of Kolkata. However, they are no match for a typical Bangladeshi Hilsa feast. The most elaborate fare in West Bengal would not have more than three or four items of Hilsa. That’s probably the maximum a dyspeptic Ghoti can consume at one go. Luckily I have both West Bengal (my mother was pure 'Ghoti') and East Bengal (my father's family came from Faridpur, now in Bangladesh) genes -- so come somewhere in between -- though even I cannot compete with the voracious appetite of a Bangal when it comes to Iilish.
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The taste of Hilsa comes primarily from the oil in its fatty belly. The optimal size of a mature fish is between three to four pounds. Fresh Hilsa deep fried in mustard oil is a treat in itself. The belly fat, extracted separately and melted, mixed with rice tastes divine with a bite of green chillies. Being a soft fish with high fat, it does not need much cooking. It is lightly-steamed with mustard paste, a few split green chillies thrown in and a drizzle of raw mustard oil on top for finishing. In West Bengal, the Taro leaves (Kochu - shaak) are replaced with Malabar Spinach (Pui - Shaak) for making a "chhochori" (vegetable) with the fish head. On a regular day - instead of the more spicy shorshe baata or bhapa (steamed) iilish - Bong Moms would make a light curry with aubergine and nigella seeds (kalonji or kalo-jeera) for a simple family lunch.
In recent years, many Bangladeshi restaurants have opened in Kolkata and spread to other cities of West Bengal. The trend was started by Kasturi - which now has several branches across Kolkata and the suburbs. Believe there is one in Bhubaneswar too. They get their own supplies of Hilsa from Bangladesh that gives them a competitive edge. Thanks to them the Kolkatans have been introduced to other forms of Hilsa like Iilish Bhuna. However, the credit for bringing back some classic Hilsa recipes goes to Anjan Chatterjee. His Oh Calcutta holds an annual Hilsa festival which serves some rare Iilish preparations. My personal favourite is Aam-tel Iilish. In the Oh Calcutta version - prime pieces of hilsa are marinated in the oil of mango pickle, wrapped in pumpkin leaves and steamed in a clay pot with rice. With the oil drippings mixed in the garam bhaat (hot rice), it is truly a gourmet affair.
The legendary Firpo's of yore had invented Smoked Hilsa for the sahibs. In it, the deboned fillets of the fish were marinated in anchovy sauce and roasted over charcoal on a bed of sweetened puffed rice. Oh Calcutta carried the innovation further with boneless Shorshe Iilish to make it accessible for people who cannot tackle the fine pin bones. I believe he has introduced a Pickled Hilsa in his nouvelle Calcutta cuisine restaurant in London. I am yet to try it -- though I suspect, when in London, I am more likely to crawl up to a Bangladeshi restaurant in Brick Lane than a Piccadilly fine dining eatery.