The eastern Indian states are home to fruitful plains riddled with waterways. After monsoon season, fields are blanketed with mustard flowers, whose seeds yield pungent cooking oil; gardens burst with vegetables. Where the Ganges flows into the Bay of Bengal, freshwater fish and rice are at the foundation of the cuisine; farther south, hundreds of miles of coastline yield shrimp and other seafood. The people and urban scenes of east India are equally distinct; see all the scenes of the region here, as captured by SAVEUR photographers. For more stories, recipes, and travel tips, see the full India Issue »
Cooks at the kitchen at Jagganath Temple in Puri, Odisha. James Roper
Produce for sale at a market in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. James Roper
Customers seek relief from the heat with caramel lassis at Lingeraj Lassi shop in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. James Roper
A family in Vindhn, a village in Odisha. James Roper
A home cook in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha uses a sil-batta, rolling the cylindrical batta grinding stone across the flat sil to crush garlic, chiles, and spices.
Shrimp for sale at a market in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. James Roper
A dish of spiced fish cooked in banana leaves prepared by Mahua Maharana, a home cook in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. James Roper
Book stall near Presidency College in Calcutta. Kelly Campbell
In Megha, a village in the southeastern part of Odisha state, farmers harvest green eggplant. James Roper
A woman in Megha, Odisha. James Roper
A vendor crushes stalks to make sugar cane juice in Calcutta. Kelly Campbell
Pintu Roy, a sweets maker, makes peraki, crunchy turnovers stuffed with date palm sugar, in his village in West Bengal. Kelly Campbell
Pantua, cottage cheese–based sweets, are tossed into the air to help them brown evenly as they fry in oil. Kelly Campbell
Neighborhood children line up for savory snacks and mishti, Bengali milk-based sweets from Pintu Roy, a sweetsmaker in the village of Santiniketan, West Bengal. Kelly Campbell
An elaborate thali at the Taj Bengal Hotel in Calcutta. Kelly Campbell
Fried snacks, or chaat, for sale in Calcutta. Kelly Campbell
A vendor in Pondicherry. Kelly Campbell
A waiter at the India Coffee House near Presidency College, Calcutta. Kelly Campbell
