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 that my labour is not lost if they can, with the help of this book, prepare and enjoy the recipes, the details of which are given here. If some of the ingredients mentioned in this book are not available outside Bengal or outside India, the preparations requiring them may be dropped altogether and if they are of little importance the preparations may be tried without them. This will not hamper one in his attempt to learn the art of Indian cooking as such ingredients and the preparations requiring them form a very small minority. Nearly all the ingredients mentioned here are produced in nearly all parts of the world or are imported by them.

This is my first attempt in this line and therefore I do not venture to insert the details of such artful preparations as that of a fish which tastes hot on one side and sour on the other. These are so difficult that even experienced and old housewifes often fail to prepare them. I shall try to give the details of such preparations in the next edition.

Thanks are due to my brother-in-law Mr. P. C. Dey M. A. who has rendered my versions into English as I am almost ignorant of the language.

Mrs. I. R. Dey.