‘Joljog’: Century old traditional eatery to start the day in Jashore

It is a small place to eat, yet from the break of dawn, people begin to gather. By early morning, the place is already crowded, some customers enjoy their food at the shop, while others take it away.

This is the vibrant scene at ‘Joljog’, a renowned eatery in Jashore, known for its luchi, dal and sweets. The shop has been serving its loyal customers for over 100 years.

Located at Chowrasta in Jashore town, along Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Road (Rail Road) beside the Kotwali police station, Joljog is best known for its luchi and dal.

In the mornings, customers enjoy freshly made luchi with lentils, while in the evenings, luchi is served with vegetables. Each luchi costs seven taka and a plate of dal or vegetables costs 15 taka. From morning until night, the shop remains abuzz with food enthusiasts.

Alongside luchi, customers can also savour a variety of sweets. The selection includes chomchom, kalo jam, kheer chomchom, roshmalai, chhanar polao, mihidana, pantoa and doi (yoghurt).

The shop’s jhola gur (molasses) based ‘pera sandesh’ is particularly famous across the country. During winter, demand for this sweet reaches such heights that people travel from distant districts just to buy it.

Joljog is not only cherished for its flavours but also holds a special place in Jashore’s heritage. The current proprietor, Sadhan Biswas, inherited the business through his family.

He shared that the shop was founded in 1893 by his ancestor Kalipada Biswas, making it 132 years old. Even the chairs and tables in the shop are decades old, having undergone only minor renovation.

In an article titled “Bohrompur Bhraman” published in Prothom Alo on 28 September 2018, eminent writer Syed Shamsul Haque mentioned having luchi and sweets at a shop near Chowrasta in Jashore.

Recalling the incident, Sadhan Biswas said, “Yes, he visited our shop. Humayun Ahmed also came once. I was still in school at the time.”

Sadhan further shared that distinguished personalities such as Jewel Aich, Andrew Kishore, Kumar Bishwajit, Subir Nandi and Fakir Alamgir - all have visited Joljog during their trips to Jashore.

He also mentioned Nimai Bhattacharya, the celebrated author of Mem Saheb, who spent part of his life in Jashore and once visited Joljog while reminiscing about old times.

When asked whether any photographs or a visitor’s book exist documenting the visits of these famous guests, Sadhan Biswas replied, “There weren’t mobile phone cameras back then, so we couldn’t preserve photographs. And we never really thought about keeping a visitor’s book. Besides, as a commercial establishment, it would have been somewhat difficult for us to maintain one.”

Even without photographs, living witnesses to those days remain. One such person is Narayan Chandra Biswas, who has worked at Joljog for over 50 years.

“I have stayed this long simply because I love the place,” he said. Sadhan Biawas himself has been involved with the shop since childhood.

“It gives me great pride to continue Joljog’s legacy just as it began, maintaining its tradition and reputation,” he remarked.

During the conversation with Sadhan Biswas and Narayan Chandra Biswas, Shubho Biswas, a resident of RN Road in Jashore, arrived at the shop for breakfast.

“I often buy luchi, dal and sweets for breakfast at home. The dal here is special, its taste is truly unique,” he said.

Local shopkeeper Munna added, “I eat Joljog’s food every morning and evening. It’s a habit now, I don’t feel good if I miss it.”