Kefayet Ullah; [Chef]

Unknown (Gastronomy); [Author]

Rohingya recipes

Gastronomy (GAS)

Cooking

Hoitor buina is fried squab, a Rohingya dish cooked for guests, important people and also sometimes when people fall sick.The Rohingya word hoitor (pigeon), is derived from the Urdu word kobutor. 

Pigeon meat has an elevated status in Rohingya food culture, and young pigeon or squab are particularly celebrated for their tender, rich meat. A Rohingya bride’s family will cook this special dish for their son-in-law instead of durus kura (fried chicken), and a dish of two to four squabs is traditionally offered to Rohingya daughters who have just given birth. When visiting sick people in their communities, Rohingya people will often bring a dish of hoitor buina or alternatively, two or four alive uncooked birds for the sick person’s family to prepare.