A Banarasi and his paan : A delectable love story

 

By Meera Vohra

Recently the famed Banarasi paan was given the Geographical Indication or GI tag because of its uniqueness, what also deserves nothing less than this recognition is the relationship between a Banarasi and his paan, which is also unique and special. You can separate a man from his alter ego but not a paan from a typical Banarasi.

What is really intriguing or rather difficult to communicate with a Banarasi is when he is savouring his daily dose of the famed paan. Don’t be aghast when he merely nods his head to answer to your trillions of queries as you are asking too much, while he is on a different journey with his delectable paan.

 A true Banarasi hates to spit his paan , when he is just about to enjoy it, that too for the sake of some mundane conversation. He will try his hardest not to forsake it, while taking the communication literally to a different level.

With his mouth stuffed, you need to decipher the sounds he creates. If you are a novice or perhaps an outsider you need a refresher course in paan (ology). The best way to learn is to observe a conversation between paan muted gentlemen who are able to comprehend the mumblings of each other with no chance of any miscommunication.

Until you have the learners licence in paan(ology) it is best to stay away from any meaningful conversations with a paan(ful) man, as it could be blunder in the making. A nay could sound yay to the beginners, so what could follow next, needs no imagination.

The Banarasis take their paan very seriously as they can go to any length ( or breath of the city) to get their paan. Everyone has their favourite shop for their daily dose ( beeda) of paan, chances of it being situated in the farthest end of the city are strong but this does not deter a typical Banarasi.

 Getting the right amount of ingredients in his paan is important for him, which only his paanwala knows best, is reason enough to reach out to him daily, at times overcoming the traffic woes.

Few people know that it is the process of making the Banarasi paan that makes it so special. None of the ingredients used in the paan, including the betel leaf, is grown in the vicinity; rather it is brought from different parts of the country.

 What gives it a melt-in-your mouth, quality is the way the ingredients are hand crafted. The betel leaves are cooked in coal heat giving a yellow tinge to the betel leaf. Though there are various varieties of leaves available but it is the maghai which is most popular. 

The other ingredients used in the paan also undergo a long process. Supari or betel nut is cleansed thoroughly after it is soaked in water overnight to remove the sour taste. Expensive ittars like gulab jal, khas, henna are mixed in kattha (catechu) to remove the tingly taste.

So salute the craftsmanship next time you enjoy a Banarasi paan.