Cumilla Rasmalai

Rasmalai is made across the subcontinent but the Cumilla version has a particular standing in Bangladesh: chhana discs, flattened rather than round, poached and then steeped in milk reduced with sugar and cardamom until it thickens, served cold with the milk clinging to them and often a scatter of pistachio. The Matri Bhandar shop in Cumilla has made it since the 1930s and is the name everyone cites, with a row of imitators using similar names nearby, which is a running local complaint. It is sold by weight in tins and does not keep more than a couple of days, so it is bought and eaten rather than carried far. The town sits on the Dhaka to Chittagong road, which is why it became a stopping point.

The main sights

• Flattened chhana discs - the shape that distinguishes the Cumilla version.
• Thickened cardamom milk - the reduced milk the discs steep in.
• Matri Bhandar - the shop making it since the 1930s.
• Imitator shops nearby - the similar names along the same street.

When to go

Year round; it is served cold and is best in the cooler months. One hour. It is a standard stop on the Dhaka to Chittagong drive. Buy from the original shop rather than the copies.

Things to know

It does not keep and cannot be carried far in heat. Imitator shops use confusingly similar names and the quality drops. It is very sweet and rich. Cumilla itself has little else for a visitor.

Nearby

Mainamati is west; the Dhaka to Chittagong highway runs through.