Who gave Starbucks the idea to make the cursed fusion that is the Aloo Posto Burger? No sane Bengali would think about such a thing, let alone order it. Posto, or white poppy seeds, is sacred to Bengali households.
It is aloo’s brother and somewhat of a third wheel in sorse hilsa, where it mixes beautifully with mustard seeds to create a thick, flavourful yellow gravy. When it is cooked with aloo (potato), its nuttiness comes out, and when used as a paste, it yields a thick gravy.
Posto is also temperamental. It needs to be cooked on low heat for 5 minutes. A minute more, and the food goes bitter. You can’t add more than two spoons of it to a dish.
Yet, it is this ingredient that puts many Bengalis into a food coma and lulls them into a cherished afternoon nap, what we call dupurer layadh or ghum.
Posto is Bengal’s lemon soda in summers. When humidity and heat become unbearable, north Indians reach for curd or buttermilk, but Bengalis want posto. It arguably has a cooling, soothing effect on the body.
For this year’s Pujo, Starbucks has introduced several fusion food items. One that caught everyone’s attention was the Aloo Posto Burger.
The company’s “Amar Pujo, Amar Starbucks” campaign also created Bhetki Bhaja Sandwich and Sorse Chicken Burger, but Bengalis drew a line when they saw their summer favourite aloo posto being butchered.
They say every ingredient holds a cultural, historical, and political context.
Posto came to Bengal through forced cultivation. In the colonial era, the British sought to expand their opium trade with China, and the fertile lands of Bengal and Bihar were forced to bear poppy seeds. Gradually, the leftovers from the cultivation made their way to Bengali homes. Posto became the heartbeat of Bengali households, especially in Purulia, Bankura, and Bardhaman districts of West Bengal.
When tourists visit these districts, they enjoy the Raj Bari palaces, the jungles, and then the cuisine. The food here heavily features poppy seeds, including posto fritters, aloo posto, dal posto and jhinge posto.
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The pandal of desi-fusion disaster
When Starbucks decided to mix posto with burgers, eyebrows were raised. Some called it blasphemous, and others decided not to go to Starbucks ever again.
One user called it atrocious. “And they’ll charge 600-1000 for this blasphemy,” read the tweet.
For others, the distaste was so high that nothing less than a boycott would suffice.
“If anyone needs any further reason to boycott Starbucks,” one user wrote.
The Aloo Posto Burger is sold for around 350 rupees, which is twice the price of aloo posto side at any eatery in Kolkata. It’s the most beautiful example of capitalism’s insidious inversions. Posto was the poor man’s cure for hunger at a time when the region suffered from colonial oppression and starvation. Now, it is a desi-fusion dish at an American store that serves as a marker of class for ill-informed Indians.
Kolkata is still among the cheapest cities when it comes to food. Where one plate with aloo posto, rice, dal, and fish curry would cost around 200 bucks, why would anyone want to pay Rs 350 for a burger?
I have not eaten the Aloo Posto Burger, and my Bengali side would never let me. To those who want to sample what blasphemy tastes like, you know which pandal to hit this Pujo.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)