Ayensi, the smelly scrumptious snack of Teknaf

Brisk business for an Ayensi foodcart in TeknafParvez Uddin Chowdhury

If you visit Teknaf now, you will see many seasonal fruits and food being sold at the streets corners. Most of them may be familiar as they are commonly seen in many other parts of Bangladesh. But one item may be a surprise - Ayensi - a rather strong smelling bean. It is perhaps the most popular snack dish among people in Teknaf. Almost all people in Teknaf love to eat it once a day in its season as a snack.

The seeds are round and dark brown in colour when peeled. It is found only in the wet season from June to October. It’s not produced in Teknaf, but brought in from Myanmar. Retailers in Teknaf sit in lines by the roadsides and are seen shelling these and preparing them for sale. The price of these seeds is pretty high and often varies with the variation of quality and size. The good and big ones are often sold for 6 to 8 taka per piece.

Selling Ayensi in Teknaf
Parvez Uddin Chowdhury

To process for eating, the seed is cut into halves. There are several recipes to prepare these. Most people in Teknaf boil these first and then fry in oil and spices or make a curry. Some eat it just after boiling. Some say it tastes really good if cooked with chicken. Though the cooked Ayensi looks like a kind of pickles, it is not sour, but has a mild taste. Noth cooked and raw Ayensi is found on streets in Teknaf and many people say they love to prepare it at home and enjoy it with the family.

Ayensi was a new dish to me. I did not see it before coming to Teknaf. I tried to learn about it through the internet. It is basically native to Southeast Asia and mostly a popular and traditional dish in Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Though widely known as Jengkol or dog fruit in English, in many languages cross southeast Asia, it is known by different names like djenkol, jering, da-nyin-thee. In Teknaf, it is known as Ayensi.

It is delicious and resembles a potato but has a pretty bad smell. But if you eat it once, you will get addicted to its pungency
Nazrul Islam, a local youth and development worker from Teknaf
Cooking Ayensi
Parvez Uddin Chowdhury

In Teknaf, there are some distinctive dishes such as Ayensi and Mundi. Many say Ayensi and Mundi are basically Burmese traditional dishes. I have seen these two are widely popular to people in Teknaf regardless of age and gender. Often people rush to eat Ayensi in the small street carts in the evening. It’s almost everyone’s favorite snack dish in Teknaf. It is also very popular among Rohingyas. On the streets of camps, vendors are seen selling Ayensi seeds. Outside of Rohingya camps and Teknaf, it is not seen elsewhere in the country, not even in Cox’s Bazar.

Nazrul Islam, a local youth and development worker from Teknaf, says, it is delicious and resembles a potato but has a pretty bad smell. But if you eat it once, you will get addicted to its pungency. It is irresistible and you will eat it every day. It has many health benefits but there is an unpleasant odour. Once you become used to that, you won’t feel bad about that anymore.

Interestingly, while I have been curious to know about new things, I have always been afraid of tasting new food. When people say it has bad smell and if you have it once, you will not resist it, I have been more careful about tasting it. However, once I tasted a few pieces in Teknaf, I found it spicy and much like potato.

Ayensi
Parvez Uddin Chowdhury

Food habits are an important part of people’s culture and traditions. It has a lot to do with one’s cultural identity. Food habit across the world and cultures is diverse. In addition to personal preferences, it is often influenced by the bounties that the land, rivers and sea produce. It may also be influenced by economic and religious factors.

Teknaf is a wonderful place to visit and enjoy. It has a beautiful landscape surrounded by aqua sea, pristine river, green hills and coral island. As a result, fresh fish from river and sea on the one hand and different root vegetables, fruits, beans, leaves and grains from hills and plain lands are produced on the other, making it a lovely place for those who want to enjoy nature, taste food and different cultures. Ayensi can be a new and exciting experience for those of you who have not seen it before.

People of Teknaf are hospitable, kind and tourist-friendly. There are many tourism projects, exclusive parks and five-star hotels are under construction. With its unique location, the mesmerizing Marine Drive, natural beauties and attractive dishes, soon it is going to be one of the finest and thrilling places for tourists from across the country and the world.

* Parvez Uddin Chowdhury is a development worker with focus on child protection and communications. He can be reached at [email protected]