The name sounds weird but hear me out: this sweet is amazing. I risk bodily problems every time I eat this, but it’s so worth it. Cham-Cham, also called “pleasure boats” are a popular Bengali sweet. I had some for the first time when my dad brought it home for my mom to use to offer to our gods while she did puja.

Upon first glance I didn’t think it would be so soft, and I thought it would make me sick given that there’s a sweet and milky smell. However, once I tried it, I was hooked.

I asked my mom how I could make these- incase I wanted to in the future. Cham-Chams are surprisingly also interesting to make! First, you’ll heat milk until the curds separate from the liquid. After hanging the curds in cheesecloth for an hour, you then knead the cheese until the mixture is smooth, form it into balls, then cook those in sugar syrup. Although that’s the basics of it, once I try it out I’m excited to tell the recipe.

It’s also interesting to me how almost all Bengali sweets consist of the same similar ingredients, yet taste so different. For example, Cham-Chams do not taste anything like Kheer or Kaju Katli, but they use more or less the same ingredients.