Paan, from the word pān (Hindi: पान, Urdu: پان) is an Indian, Pakistani, Uttarvarshi and Southeast Asian tradition of chewing betel leaf (Piper betle) with areca nut and slaked lime paste, and katha (or kaatha) brown powder paste, with many regional and local variations. Paan - also known as betel quid - is mostly consumed in Asia, and elsewhere in the world by some Asian emigrants, with or without tobacco, in an addictive and euphoria-inducing formulation with adverse health effects.[1]
Paan is claimed to be chewed as a palate cleanser, a breath freshener, and for digestive purposes. Some offer it to their guests and visitors as a sign of hospitality (after meals at both personal and social occasions) and at the beginning of social events. It has a symbolic value at ceremonies and cultural events in India and southeast Asia. Paan makers may use mukhwas or tobacco in paan fillings. Most paan contains areca nuts as a filling - a substance known to cause cancer.[1] Other types include what is called sweet paan, where sugar, candied fruit and multicolored, sweetened, candy-like fennel seeds are used.
Areca nut is often mistakenly translated in the English language as "betel nut", a misnomer, for the betel vine has no nuts. This name originated because the betel leaf is chewed along with the areca nut, the seed of the tropical palm Areca catechu. Supari or adakka is the term for the nut in many Indic languages.
Although paan is generally used to refer to the leaves of the betel vine, the common use of this word refers mostly to the chewing mixture wrapped in the betel leaves.
Paan varies with both local traditions and the dominant traditions as created by royal families in the different regions of the Indian subcontinent. The tradition of giving away paan en-masse at social occasions finds its origins in the princely kingdoms of India, where it was given along with other gifts to those in the kingdom for celebrations or holidays, or to visiting parties as a symbol of welcome and honor .
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Paan has various forms and flavours. The most commonly found include:
There are a variety of betel leaves grown in different parts of India and Bangladesh; the method of preparation also differs from region to region. The delicately flavoured paan from Bengal is known as deshi mahoba. Maghai and jagannath are the main paans of Benaras. Paan prepared from small and fragile leaves from south India is known as chigrlayele. The thicker black paan leaves, the ambadi and kariyele, are more popular and are chewed with tobacco.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) regards the chewing of betel-quid and areca nut to be a known human carcinogen.[2] The main carcinogenic factor is believed to be areca nut. A recent study found that areca-nut paan with and without tobacco increased oral cancer risk by 9.9 and 8.4 times, respectively.[3]
Paan, or betel quid as it is known in some parts of the world, is a mixture of substances. The paan almost always contains a betel leaf with two basic ingredients, either areca nut or tobacco or both, with lime (calcium hydroxide),.[4][5] Both tobacco and areca nut are considered as carcinogenic,.[6][7]
In a ca. 1985 study,[5] scientists linked malignant tumors to the site of skin or subcutaneous administration of aqueous extracts of paan in mice. In hamsters, forestomach carcinomas occurred after painting of the cheek-pouch mucosa with aqueous extracts or implantation of a wax pellet containing powdered paan with tobacco into the cheek pouch; carcinomas occurred in the cheek pouch following implantation of the wax pellets. In human populations, they report observing elevated frequencies of micronucleated cells in buccal mucosa of people who chew betel quid in Philippines and India. The scientists also found that the proportion of micronucleated exfoliated cells is related to the site within the oral cavity where the paan is kept habitually and to the number of betel quids chewed per day. In related studies,[5] the scientists reported that oral leukoplakia shows a strong association with habits of paan chewing in India. Some follow-up studies have shown malignant transformation of a proportion of leukoplakias. Oral submucous fibrosis and lichen planus, which are generally accepted to be precancerous conditions, appear to be related to the habit of chewing paan.
In a study conducted in Taiwan, scientists report[8] the extent of cancer risks of betel quid (paan) chewing beyond oral cancer, even when tobacco was absent. In addition to oral cancer, significant increases were seen among chewers for cancer of the esophagus, liver, pancreas, larynx, lung, and all cancer. Chewing and smoking, as combined by most betel chewers, interacted synergistically and was responsible for half of all cancer deaths in this group. Chewing betel leaf quid and smoking, the scientists claim shortened the life span by nearly 6 years.
A Lancet Oncology publication claims that paan masala may cause tumours in different parts of the body and not just the oral cavity as previously thought.[9]
In a study conducted in Sri Lanka, scientists found[10] high prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders in rural Sri Lankan populations. After screening for various causes, the scientists report paan chewing being the major risk factor, with or without tobacco.
In October, 2009, 30 scientists from 10 countries met at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a World Health Organization sponsored group, to reassess the carcinogenicity of various agents including areca nut - a common additive in paan. They report there is sufficient evidence that paan chewing, even without tobacco, leads to tumor in oral cavity and oesophagus, and that paan with added tobacco is a carcinogen to oral cavity, pharynx and oesophagus.[11]
Chewing the mixture of areca nut and betel leaf is a tradition, custom or ritual which dates back thousands of years from India to the Pacific. Ibn Battuta describes this practice as follows: "The betel is a tree which is cultivated in the same manner as the grape-vine; … The betel has no fruit and is grown only for the sake of its leaves … The manner of its use is that before eating it one takes areca nut; this is like a nutmeg but is broken up until it is reduced to small pellets, and one places these in his mouth and chews them. Then he takes the leaves of betel, puts a little chalk on them, and masticates them along with the betel."
It constitutes an important and popular cultural activity in many Asian and Oceanic countries, including Myanmar, Cambodia, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos, and Vietnam. It is not known how and when the areca nut and the betel leaf were married together as one drug. Archaeological evidence from Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines suggests they have been used in tandem for four thousand years or more.[12]
Paan is a ubiquitous sight in many parts of India and Southeast Asia. It is known as beeda in Hindi and vetrrilai or thambulum in Tamil, killi or tambulam in (Telugu), sireh (in Malay language), sirih (in Indonesian), suruh (in Javanese), mark (ໝາກ) in Lao, and bulath (in Sri Lanka). In urban areas, chewing paan is generally considered a nuisance because some chewers spit the paan out in public areas – compare chewing gum ban in Singapore and smoking ban. The red stain generated by the combination of ingredients when chewed are known to make a colorful stain on the ground. This is becoming an unwanted eyesore in Indian cities such as Mumbai, although many see it as an integral part of Indian culture. This is also common in some of the Persian Gulf countries, such as the UAE and Qatar, where many Indians live. Recently, the Dubai government has banned the import and sale of paan and the like.[13]
According to traditional Ayurvedic medicine, chewing areca nut and betel leaf is a good remedy against bad breath (halitosis),[14] but it can possibly lead to oral cancer.
In the Indian subcontinent, the chewing of betel and areca nut dates back (circa 2600 BC) to the pre-Vedic Harappan empire.[15] Formerly in India and Sri Lanka, it was a custom of the royalty to chew areca nut and betel leaf. Kings had special attendants carrying a box with the ingredients for a good chewing session. There was also a custom to chew areca nut and betel leaf among lovers because of its breath-freshening and relaxant properties. Hence, there was a sexual symbolism attached to chewing them. The areca nut represented the male and the betel leaf the female principle. Considered an auspicious ingredient in Hinduism, the areca nut is still used along with betel leaf in religious ceremonies and also while honoring individuals in most of South Asia.
The skilled paan maker is known in North India as a paanwala. In some parts of northern India, paanwalas are also known as panwaris or panwadis. Many people believe their paanwala is the best, considering it an art that takes practice and expert touch.
Paan eating was taken to its zenith of cultural refinement in the prepartition era in North India, mainly Lucknow, where it became an elaborate cultural custom, and was seen as a ritual of the utmost sophistication. The traditional way of paan making, storing, and serving consists of storing the leaves in a moist, red-colored cloth called shaal-baaf, inside a metal casket called paandaani. The paandaani has several lidded compartments, each for storing a different filling or spice. To serve, a leaf is removed from the wrapping cloth and deveined, and kattha and lime paste is generously applied on its surface. This is topped with tiny pieces of areca nuts, cardamom, saffron, roasted or unroasted coconut pieces or powder, cloves, tobacco, etc., according to the eater's personal preferences. The leaf is then folded in a special manner into a triangle, called gilouree and is ready to be eaten. On special occasions, the 'gilouree is wrapped in delicate silver leaf (vark). To serve, a silver pin is inserted to prevent it from unfolding, and placed inside a domed casket called khaas-daan. Some paan makers insert a pointed end of clove to prevent the gilouree from unfolding. Alternatively, it is sometimes held together by a paper or foil folded into a funnel with the pointed end inserted inside it. Voracious paan eaters do not swallow; instead, they chew it, enjoying its flavours, and then spit it into a spittoon. Alternatively, Varanasi erstwhile Benares and many other North Indian cities are famous for paan eating.
In the Indian state of Maharashtra the paan culture is widely criticised due to the cleanliness problems created by people who spit in public places. In Mumbai, there have been attempts to put pictures of Hindu gods in places (walls, etc.) where people commonly tend to spit, but success has been limited. One of the great Marathi artists P L Deshpande wrote a comic story on the subject of panwala (paan vendor), and a performed a televised reading session on Doordarshan during the 1980s in his unique style. Generations of Maharashtrians still listen to or watch this performance.
Recently, though, the iconic paan has lost its appeal to the farmers and common people. They say the contagious spread of chewing tobacco, especially gutkha, is fast taking over the paan market. Farmers have more reasons to shy away from the crop once referred to as green gold. Skyrocketing input costs, water scarcity and unpredictable weather mean betel gardens are no longer lucrative.
Paan has been part of the Ifugao culture in the Philippines. Known mainly as tepak sirih in Malay, it is also commonly and simply referred to as nga-nga in Tagalog. Nga-nga literally means "to chew/gnaw". Nowadays, it is mostly popular among the inhabitants of the Cordilleras.
Kun-ya is the word for paan in Myanmar, formerly Burma, and has a very long tradition. Both men and women loved it and every household, until the 1960s, used to have a special lacquerware box for paan, called kun-it, which would be offered to any visitor together with cheroots to smoke and green tea to drink. The leaves are kept inside the bottom of the box, which looks like a small hat box, but with a top tray for small tins, silver in well-to-do homes, of various other ingredients such as the betel nuts, slaked lime, cutch, anise seed and a nut cutter. The sweet form (acho) is popular with the young, but grownups tend to prefer it with cardamom, cloves and tobacco. Spittoons, therefore, are still ubiquitous, and signs saying "No paan-spitting" are commonplace, as it makes a messy red splodge on floors and walls; many people display betel-stained teeth from the habit. Paan stalls and kiosks used to be run mainly by people of Indian origin in towns and cities. Smokers who want to kick the habit would also use betel nut to wean themselves off tobacco.
Taungoo in Lower Burma is where the best areca palms are grown indicated by the popular expression "like a betel lover taken to Taungoo". Other parts of the country contribute to the best paan according to another saying "Tada-U for the leaves, Ngamyagyi for the tobacco, Taungoo for the nuts, Sagaing for the slaked lime, Pyay for the cutch". Kun, hsay, lahpet (paan, tobacco and pickled tea) are deemed essential items to offer monks and elders particularly in the old days. Young maidens traditionally carry ornamental betel boxes on a stand called kundaung and gilded flowers (pandaung) in a shinbyu (novitiation) procession. Burmese history also mentions an ancient custom of a condemned enemy asking for "a paan and a drink of water" before being executed.
The consumption of paan has long been a very popular cultural tradition throughout Pakistan, especially in Memon and Muhajir households, where numerous paans were consumed throughout the day. In general, though, paan is an occasional delicacy thoroughly enjoyed by many, and almost exclusively bought from street vendors instead of any preparations at home. Pakistan grows a large variety of betel leaf (specifically in the coastal areas of Sindh), although paan is imported in large quantities from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and, recently, Thailand. The paan business is famously handled and run by Memon traders, who migrated from western India when Pakistan split from India in 1947.
The culture of chewing paan has also spread in Punjab where a paan shop can be found in almost every street and market. In the famous Anarkali Bazar in Lahore a street called paan gali is dedicated for paan and its ingredients together with other Indian products.[16]
The chewing of the product is part of the culture of Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. Cultivation of areca nut palm and betel leaves is common in rural areas of these countries, being a traditional cash crop, and the utensils used for preparation are often treasured. Now, many young people have given up the habit, especially in urban areas, but many, especially older people, still keep to the tradition.
In Vietnam, the areca nut and the betel leaf are such important symbols of love and marriage that in Vietnamese the phrase "matters of betel and areca" (chuyện trầu cau) is synonymous with marriage. Areca nut chewing starts the talk between the groom's parents and the bride's parents about the young couple's marriage. Therefore, the leaves and juices are used ceremonially in Vietnamese weddings.[17]
In Bangladesh, pan is chewed throughout the country by all classes. Prior to British rule, it was chewed without tobacco. It is offered to the guests and used in festivals irrespective of religion. A mixture called Dhakai pan khili (like a roll) is famous in Bangladesh and the subcontinent. The sweet pan of the Khasi tribe is famous for its special quality. Paan is also used in Hindu puja and wedding festivals and to visit relatives. It has become a ritual, tradition and culture of Bangladeshi society. Adult women gather with pandani[18] along with friends and relatives in leisure time.
Paan is chewed by Madheshis, although the hilly migrants in terai have also taken up chewing Paan in recent days. Throughout Terai Paan is as common as anywhere in northern India. Most leaves are imported from India, although natively its grown in some quantities, but not much commercially. Most public places in Kathmandu discourage chewing paan, and blaspheme at Madheshis' culture of chewing Paan.