India, Oct. 3 -- Called 'shiuli' in Bengali, 'parijat' or 'harsingar' in Hindi, 'xewali' in Assamese, and 'night-blooming jasmine' in English, these nocturnal flowers make their arrival known every October. The delicate white blooms with orange-red centres fill the evening air with a gentle sweetness, and by morning one can often find them strewn beneath their trees. The flower is a recurring motif in Hindu mythology, with many grand tales and legends featuring it. It's believed that the tree emerged during the Samudra Manthan ( the churning of the ocean) before finding its way into Indra's heavenly kingdom. Some stories say Indra gifted Krishna this flower, who brought it to Earth for his wives. The Vayu Purana, on the other hand, says the tree rose from the ashes of a mortal princess Parijataka who fell in love with the Sun God, Surya. What's certain is that shiuli announces Durga Puja season with its fragrance and is offered as a sacred flower to the goddess. Beyond being an offering to the gods, shiuli is also tied to many culinary traditions. There are many Bengali, Odiya and Assamese dishes where shiuli is the star ingredient. Seasonality has been intrinsic to Indian cooking, but in the age of supermarket abundance, where produce is available all year round, celebrating and preserving indigenous ingredients like shiuli feels more important than ever. These flowers have a slight bitterness to them, which mellows out when cooked, lending earthiness to dishes and drinks. "I remember going for morning walks surrounded by the flowers' fragrance. We used to leave a clean cloth under the trees a day before and would wake up to a big carpet of Xewali flowers that we used in cooking," recalls Gitika Saikia, a food curator from Assam....