After the chai comes the famous food of Banaras, the Banarasi pan. It is the star of Banarasi cuisine. Tripuresh says that once a Banarasi puts a pan in his mouth and chews it (called ‘mooh mein gholna’ or dissolving the paan in the mouth), they become much more laidback and friendlier. The more formal ‘ka ho guru’ turns into the friendlier ‘mardava’, and the conversations become more open and relaxed.
And so, armed with paan, start long conversations about everyday happenings and Indian and global politics. These discussions go on for 2-3 hours and can sometimes get heated, but at the end of the day, everything goes back to normal. Yesterday’s angry people return back to the same shop the next day to restart a new conversation with ever more friendliness and enthusiasm!
It is interesting to note that the famous Banarasi paan is actually not grown in Banaras. The maghai variety comes from Bihar, the jagannathi variety comes from Odisha, Haldiya from West Bengal while the desi variety comes from Jaunpur. All of these are sold in the world’s biggest market for paan leaves called paandariba. Established in 1952, this market sells 90 crore leaves of paan every month.
After the fresh paan leaves are sold in the paandariba, the next step is to bake them. For this, they are placed in baskets in a furnace-like room within 1-1.5 feet away from burning charcoal. Baking the paan turns it into a lighter shade and also makes it easier to eat. This is a skill which is a specialisation of Varanasi.
The paan leaves then go to the end sellers called panwaaris who make the paan. A variety of paans can be found in Varanasi based on the ingredients one wants stuffed inside it, the most popular being saada and meetha paan. The ingredients include kattha, areca nut, gulkand, slaked lime, etc. The panwaaris are extremely skilled in making individual ingredients and balancing their flavours within the paan, making the banarasi paan so famous that it is mentioned in Mughal scriptures as well! Here’s a very interesting video on the Banarasi paan.
Nice collection of article very good for knowing about our culture our history our nation
बहुत ही अच्छा संग्रह , हम बनारस वालों के लिए और गैर बनारसी के लिए भी ……बनारस को और अच्छी तरीके से जानने के लिए और समझने के लिए आपके अगले blog का इंतजार रहेगा
Dhanyawad Ragini.
Thanks a lot Jinal. So glad you liked the collection.
बहुत ही उम्दा संस्करण बनारसी और गैर बनारसी दोनों के लिए. बनारस को और जानने के लिए और समझने के लिए आपके अन्य ब्लॉक्स का इंतजार रहेगा
Thanks again Ragini. I hope aage ke articles bhi aapko itne hi acche lagein. 🙂
Well presented with a combination of storyline and picturisation. Very beneficial guide for travellers and explorers who wish to visit Varanasi and experience famous places and food there.
Thank you Manu. So glad you found this to be of value. 🙂