Shukto
Shukto is a popular vegetable dish in Bengali cuisine usually served with rice in the West Bengal state of India and in the neighbouring country Bangladesh. It has slightly bitter taste and is especially served in the banquets of Bengali social ceremonies like Annaprasana, Sraddhya or Bengali Wedding as a part of traditional Bengali thali. Shukto has numerous different variations and can be prepared in different ways. The tradition of starting a meal by consuming bitters, considered to have a medicinal value, dates back to the ancient times and was promoted by the authors of Ayurveda. Shukto was consumed as a cooling agent in the hot and humid climates of the ancient kingdoms of undivided Bengal like Anga, Vanga. In Kalinga aka present day Odisha, a similar vegetable stew called Santuḷa is very popular. Shukto is also mentioned in Mangal-Kāvya, written during the medieval period and in the biographies of Sri Chaitanya.
Source: Wikipedia
