India, Jan. 23 -- The great misconception about Kolkata is that it is a parochial Bengali town. That's much less true than it was when I lived in the city, and even way back in 1986, Kolkata's food was marked by cosmopolitanism. Very few of the dishes that people raved about - and which found fame all over India - were Bengali in origin.

The chaat, which is among the country's best, was made by Biharis. The Nizam's Roll (now better known nationally as the kathi roll) was made at a restaurant set up in 1932 by north Indians. The famous Kolkata biryani is roughly as Bengali as Wajid Ali Shah, the Nawab of Awadh, at whose court it was allegedly created. Chilli chicken was created by canny Chinese restaurateurs to appeal to Kolkata tastes. ...