Banarasi paan: Savour the flavour of the GI-tagged mouth freshener
The Hindu
Traditional Banarasi paan got the GI tag in March this year along with the Banarasi Langra mango. The recognition cements what we have known all along: there is no other paan like the paan of Banaras
Every region in India has its own version of paan and almost everyone in India eats, if not loves, it. But there is something about Banarasi paan that sets it apart. Is it the leaf, the ingredients, or is it the preparation? It is hard to pick but one thing is clear, there is no paan that tastes like Banarasi paan.
While across the country paan is evolving into new avatars — think chocolate, butterscotch paan, and even blueberry strawberry paan, in addition to the social media-friendly ‘fire paan’ — in Varanasi it is still preferred the classic way. Eaten with kattha (catechu) which is an extract from the Acacia tree, chuna (limestone paste), supari (betel nut), and in some cases tobacco, it is the quintessential old fashioned paan that lets you enjoy the subtle nuances of each ingredient.
“Paan is considered auspicious in Varanasi. Belief is that the first-ever seed of paan was planted by Shiva and Parvati at Mount Kailash from where they brought it to Kashi. Since this is the city of Shiva, it became a part of life here,” says Rajeev Manhar, vice president Brij Hotels, who lives and works in Varanasi.
Folklore here also connects paan to the Ramayana. “It is said that when Hanuman visited Sita in Ashok Vatika and she had nothing to give him as a gesture of affection, she plucked paan leaves and quickly made a garland of it. And so, even today paan is offered to Hanuman, especially in Varanasi,” adds Rajeev.
“Paan is a way of life in Varanasi,” says Anubhav Sapra, the founder of Delhi Food Walks who has been travelling to Varanasi for many years to research and chronicle the street food. “I have tasted paan from across the country, but I haven’t eaten anything like Banarasi paan.” The paan here, according to him, is much beyond a snack, a mouth freshner or a condiment. It is an emotion.
Every region has its preferred betel leaf. “It is the way the leaf is treated in Varanasi (in a process called pakana which literally translates to cooking but means ripening of the leaf) that makes it softer than any other, which is why Banarasi paan melts in your mouth,” explains Anubhav.
Interestingly, the leaf that gives the Banarasi paan its identity is not grown in Varanasi: it is from Bihar, Bengal or Odisha.
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