Holsteins, green fields, Mid-Atlantic vernacular architecture — and the finishing touch for a Bangladeshi chatpati.
The artwork seems incongruous, but the backstory makes sense. Some years ago a product developer for a New Jersey dairy wondered why local Indian restaurants bought so much of its milk. To make yogurt (dahi), he learned, yogurt with the texture and taste of back home — thicker, fattier, and less acidic than its mainstream American counterpart. The dairy stepped up to fill this market niche, and today its dahi is a common sight in South Asian markets. On a sultry afternoon, a splash of cool yogurt was especially welcome atop my made-to-order bowl of chatpati (below).
Also shown: another chatpati, wetted instead with tamarind water; assorted sweet pithas impressed with intricate patterns; a chondro puli. The namesake celestial object might have been intended either as an elongated half-moon or an unbent crescent; exploring beneath its deep-fried surface I discovered coconut and jaggery.
Chatpati Mela
78th St. between 34th Ave. and Northern Blvd., Jackson Heights, Queens
www.Facebook.com/events/665130096965159
(The 2015 mela was held on August 22)
