History of eating paan is as old as the city of Banares ( Varanasi as is called now) . Even today, in several parts of the country, eating paan after meals or otherwise is an integral part of eating habits.
On eating paan , a red colour saliva is generated which many people spit out. It is a common disgusting sight to see walls of Public toilets, buildings, staircases, lifts, monuments -splattered with careless spit marks. Perhaps that is why paan eating is now getting restricted to or is limited to after meals mouth freshners. This could be one of the reasons for Paan to loose its royal status it enjoyed for centuries.
Perhaps, in older days, paan used to play some part in health benefits too as almost all the standard ingredients are beneficial to health someway or the other
The beetle leaf– Aphrosiadic, antibiotic,
Slaked lime – provides calcium for the body.
Supari or Areca nut – ensures healthy digestive system, eradicates indigestion, increases apetite.
Katha ( catechu) – very useful in treating diarrhoea, cough, malaria, throat pain, asthama etc.
Gulkand ( a sweet preserve of rose petals)- beneficial for acidity, gastritis, skin care, indigestion, ulcer, stress etc.
Saunf (Fennel) – combats bad breath, improves digestion, regulates blood pressure, reduces asthama, improves skin appearance, purifies blood,. Pudina(mint)– antioxidant, contains Vitamin A, C, B complex, calcium, phosphorous etc.It is also rich source of iron, potassium,manganese which improves haemoglobin levels, improves brain function etc.
Kesar (saffron)– high in antioxidants, suppose to improve mood, libido, sexual function, weight loss.
Kishmish ( Raisins) – relieves constipitation, rich in fibre, helps treat infections, relieves pain, reduces acidity, prevents anemia. Pepperment- helps in treating digestive problems, common cold, sinus, headaches etc.
Banarasi Paan is synonimus with Varanasi. In Fact government has given it a GI tag. GI tag is given to those products which are associated with a location or their reputation is linked to a location.
During our visit to Varanasi, we took local advise as to where we could taste authentic banarasi paan and we were led to an old shop where an elderly person was busy , engrossed like an artist at work
The shop looked old, had lots of certificates in the background, had photographs of him with various known personalities including prime minister Modi.
He took his own time in applying slaked lime, Katha, rubbing it on leaf , lovingly putting all the ingredients, artistically twisting and folding it before giving it to you. The air smelled of an old world charm.
Paan may have lost its charm. Nowadays lots of things are been added including tobacco, chocolates but ask a connoisseur and you will find paan still is an integral part of royal and intellectual elite where the source and quality of every ingrediant is carefully monitored. People are known to have their own silver paan boxes.
When in Varanasi, be sure to relish the taste of a paan.