English
বাংলা
The story
Satkhira, in the far south-west of Bangladesh beside the Sundarbans and the Indian border, is one of the country's main milk-producing districts, and local sweet makers say that cheap, plentiful milk is the reason the town became known for its sweets. Sandesh is the one people ask for by name. It sits on the list of things Satkhira is proud of, and families send it to relatives in Dhaka and abroad, where it has found buyers among the diaspora in recent years.
Several shops in Satkhira town have built their names on it. The oldest commonly cited is Fakir Mistanna Bhandar, said to have been opened in 1947 on Nazmul Sarani by Ghulam Mohammad Fakir Ahmed, and now trading as two separate shops run by his successors. Sagar Sweets, Bhagyakul Mishtanna Bhandar and Keshto Moyra are other names locals mention. Alongside plain and kheer sandesh, these shops make pera sandesh, sarpuria, rasmalai and many other milk sweets.
The method is simple and depends on fresh milk. Workers collect cow milk early in the morning, boil it and split it into chhena, then hang the chhena in cloth to drain. Makers quoted in the press describe using about twenty kilograms of milk for seven kilograms of chhena, which is then cooked in an iron karai with sugar, or with nolen gur and sugar, for around half an hour and left to cool before shaping. The nolen gur version is made in winter, when date-palm sap is tapped across the region, and local shopkeepers say it sells at roughly twice the pace of the sugar version during the season.
How to spot the real Satkhira sandesh
Good Satkhira sandesh is soft and moist but holds its shape, with a fine, slightly grainy texture that melts quickly and a clear taste of fresh milk. The nolen gur kind is light caramel brown with a smoky, fragrant aroma of new jaggery; it should not taste burnt or bitter, and the colour should be even rather than bright or patchy. Strong perfume, a sharp artificial gur flavour, or an unnaturally deep brown suggest essence or colour standing in for real gur. Dry, rubbery or chalky sandesh is usually old or made with milk powder. Since many shops elsewhere sell "Satkhira sandesh", ask the seller which shop made it and on what day.
Buying tips
Chhena sandesh is a fresh product with no preservative, so it is best within a day or two of making. Before you order, ask the seller whether the sandesh is made in Satkhira, when the batch was cooked, whether it is sugar or nolen gur sandesh, and how it will be packed. A sealed plastic or foil box inside a carton keeps pieces from crushing. Find out which courier is used and how long it takes to reach you. If you want the gur version, order in winter; outside the season, ask what kind of gur was used. Prices differ by type, with gur and kheer sandesh usually costing more than plain.
On Midmart, each shop charges its own delivery fee, so sandesh from Satkhira and doi from another district will be two deliveries and two charges. Midmart does not take payment or deliver anything itself; you settle the price, payment and courier directly with the seller.
Keeping it fresh
Keep sandesh in a covered box in the fridge and eat it within two to three days. Take it out a few minutes before serving so the flavour comes back. Throw it away if it smells sour, turns slimy or grows mould.
Find Satkhira sandesh on Midmart
Shops from where it is made
No shop from Satkhira is on Midmart yet.
Every shop on Midmart collects payment its own way and arranges its own delivery — Midmart never handles your money or your parcel. Delivery is charged per shop: order from three shops and you pay three delivery charges.
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