The area occupied by the present-day city encompassed three villages: Kalikata, Gobindapur, and Sutanuti. Kalikata was a fishing village; Sutanuti was a riverside weavers' village. They were part of an estate belonging to the Mughal emperor; the jagirdari (a land grant bestowed by a king on his noblemen) taxation rights to the villages were held by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family of landowners or zamindars. These rights were transferred to the East India Company in 1698

Kolkata serves the best delicacies both for vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Macher Jhol tops the list without any doubt. Fish being an integral component of Bengali cuisine, usually served with plain rice is one of the must-try. Secondly, is the Kosha Mangso (dry mutton curry) which goes well with Luchi (deep-fried flatbread). A Bengali meal is not complete without lentil curry made from chana dal and is too paired up with luchi. Shukto is a typical and authentic Bengali dish, includes almost all vegetables-potato, pumpkin, bitter gourd, bottle gourd and tastes bitter and sweet. Bengali meal is incomplete without desserts, a range of desserts are available in the city such as Chomchom, Sandesh, Rasgullas, Misti Dohi, and many more. Kolkata is one such city where every corner is famous for serving some authentic food items. From authentic local Bengali cuisine to a cup of coffee in some coffee house, to telebhaja or phuckha, or rolls or the mouth-watering Biryani, Kolkata is a paradise for food lovers.