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There was a time when heart-shaped leaves of betel (Piper betle) were served after dinner in nearly every household. Panwaris, or paan sellers, would set up shop on street corners and offer customised beedas (quids); or people would just buy the leaves and prepare them at home with ingredients such as areca nut, slaked lime, cardamom, cloves, fennel, saffron, coconut and gulkand (a sweet preserve of rose petals). A beeda after a meal was believed to aid digestion and freshen the breath.
It was so popular that people believed knowing the “correct” way to eat paan was the epitome of cultured life. The saying “Bandar ko diya paan, lagaa roti sa chabaan” (if you give paan to a monkey, he will eat it like a roti) is used to refer to a lack of finesse in behaviour.
However, think of paan nowadays, and it is likely to conjure an image of red spit-covered walls—a mess made by tobacco chewers who use betel leaves to wrap and flavour the intoxicant. Traditionally, the leaf would be chewed and swallowed, but when used with tobacco, the saliva has to be spat out. This practice is considered to have begun around the 16th century when tobacco was introduced in the country by Portuguese invaders.
The name “betel” was also first used in the 16th century by the Portuguese, most probably derived from vetila—the Malay word for leaf. The Malayalam and Tamil names for betel leaf are also similar-sounding, vettila and vettilai, respectively. In Kannada, betel is taamboola, in Manipuri kwa and in Marathi naagavaela.
In modern times, the paan leaf has been combined with ingredients such as chocolate, strawberry and chillies. In one fancy version, paan is set on fire—one of its ingredients, clove, catches fire easily—before the quid is swallowed. Betel leaf flavour is also incorporated into hard candy and ice cream along with traditional sweets such as petha and barfi.
The leaf imparts beneficial analgesic and cooling properties. In the ancient medical texts of Charaka and Sushruta Samhita, betel leaves are prescribed with spices to aid digestion, remove phlegm and make the mouth fragrant, says a 2011 article published in Asian-Agri History. In Uttar Pradesh, a new mother is traditionally fed a betel leaf toasted with ghee and wrapped around almonds for 15 days after childbirth, to help in her recovery. A decoction of the leaves is also added to her bath water. A warmed leaf soaked in mustard oil is applied to the chest area to relieve coughing and difficulty with breathing. Heated leaves are also applied on the abdomen to relieve constipation.
The leaves are also noted for their antimicrobial activity. Reviewing articles on the plant published in 2010-20, researchers from Indonesia note that betel leaf extract, essential oil and isolates could inhibit microbial growth. They can kill Gram-negative bacteria like Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans, as well as disease-causing fungi. The review, published in the journal Molecules in 2021, notes that using betel leaf extract and essential oil with antibiotics (streptomycin, chloramphenicol and gentamicin) increases their antibacterial properties.
P betle is a woody, evergreen creeper, native to Southeast Asia. Based on the shape, size, brittleness and taste of the leaf blade, the vine is classified into pungent and non-pungent varieties. Its flowers and seeds are a rare sight because cultivated vines are mostly male plants se-lected for vigorous growth and leaf production. Some 100 varieties are found across the world, of which 40 are in India, says a 2022 article in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. Sri Lanka, Thailand and Bangladesh are other major betel leaf growers, as per the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Delhi.
In India, the plant is grown in 10 states (Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Maharashtra). The country exported over 3,440 million tonnes of betel leaves in 2022-23, worth R49.68 crore, says APEDA. Four varieties are recognised by the Geographical Indication registry—Maghai paan from Bihar; Mahoba Desawari paan that grows in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh and Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh; Authoor betel leaf of Tamil Nadu; and Banarasi paan from Varanasi. But the future of this creeper is uncertain due to climate vagaries. Just this year, the crop was destroyed in Mahoba due to extreme cold. Let’s hope the after-dinner treat does not become a lost recipe.
Ingredients
Paan leaves: 2
Tomato: 1
Arhar dal: 1 tbsp
Fennel seeds: 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds: 1/2 tsp
Black pepper: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Tamarind pulp: 1 tbsp
Whole red chilli: 1
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Ghee: 1 tsp
Jaggery: 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Method
Roast the fennel, cumin and coriander seeds with pepper, and grind coarsely. Boil the dal, tomato and paan leaves. Grind the spices, boiled leaves, dal, tomato, tamarind pulp, salt and jaggery in a mixer. Add water and boil again. In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds and chilli; use it to temper the rasam and serve it hot.
Ingredients
Paan leaves: 6
Gulkand: 1 tbsp
Dry rose petals: 1 tsp
Khoya/mawa: 250 g
Sugar: 1 tbsp
Ghee: 1 tsp
Dry fruits (assorted, chopped): 1 tbsp
Method
Grind and strain the paan leaves, saving the extract. Heat the ghee in a pan and add the dry fruits. Add khoya, gulkand, paan extract, sugar and mix well. Grease a plate with ghee and transfer the barfi mix and spread. When cool, garnish with crushed rose petals and cut into squares.
This was first published in the 16-30 June, 2024 Print edition of Down To Earth
