Chyapa Shutki of Nandail

Chyapa (also called sidol or hidol in this region) is made from small puti fish that are cleaned, lightly sun-dried and packed into earthen pots, often buried, to ferment for months. The result is strong-smelling and deeply savoury, and it is mashed into fiery bhorta or cooked with onion and chilli. Greater Mymensingh and the haor belt are its heartland. In Nandail, makers such as Hasu Mia of Savar village sell their chyapa at the municipal market three days a week, and buyers come from other districts.

Good to know

The smell is strong; ask for it well sealed if you are carrying it on a bus.

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• #fermented-fish
• #bhorta