Surprise Your People with Home Made Pan Beeda

Paan (Hind), beeda (Tamil) is a type of chewing preparation, served after food to improve digestion, using shredded Areca nut (Areca catechu) betel nut (supari or adakka), Calcium or lime paste (chuna) and other spicy ingredients wrapped in a triangular package using Betel leaf (Piper betle) and held together with a clove. Sometimes, based on the request and requirement, the betel leaf is also filled with powdered tobacco with spices.

Health Benefits of Pan

Normally the Indian meal has to be followed by pan beeda. Ayurveda considers pan (without toxic substances like tobacco) chewing keeps mouth clean, strengthens the voice, tongue and teeth and guards against diseases. It enhances digestion and purifies blood. The lime helps woman folk as a direct source of calcium to improve their calcium deficiency. The Katha, a red substance derived from the wood of the tree acacia catechu, is applied on betel leaf to improve our saliva color into deep red. The Katha is also an astringent and disinfectant.

Betel Leaf Species and Quality

There are three different types of betel leaves: (a). Kalkatta betel leaf is very heavily flavored, broader in shape and is more suitable for pan beeda preparation and it appears in dark green color; (b). Banarasileaf is also broader and looks lighter green color; and (c). Maggai leaf is available in both shades but it’s much more smaller in size than both Kalkatta leaf. Pan Beeda makers prefer Kalkatta leaves for pan beeda. Apart from these there are betel leaf species grown in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. The karuppu betel leaf (dark green in color) is very pungent and strong in taste where as the other species madras betel leaf (pale green in color) is mild in taste.

The betel leaves are stored wrapped in a moist, red colored cloth called “shaal-baaf”, inside a bronze (or any other metal) casket called, “PaanDaani”. There are many different varieties of Pan Preparations.

Have you noticed the pan making skill exhibited by your paanwala? You might have surprised to see the art of pan making, storing and serving. Do you know the kind of pan prepared by panwalas? Yes. There are varieties and variations in adding spices and tobacco in specific. The varieties include:

1. Sada Pan: this preparation does include minimum spices and does not include sweet substances and tobacco power varieties.
2. Meetha Pan: this preparation does include minimum spices and sweet substances and does not include tobacco power varieties.
3. Special Meetha Pan: this preparation does include rich spices and sweet substances and does not include tobacco power varieties
4. 120 Pan: this preparation does include minimum spices, 120 tobacco powder, and sweet substances (on request basis)
5. 160 Pan: this preparation does include minimum spices, 160 tobacco powder, and sweet substances (on request basis)
6. 300 Pan: this preparation does include minimum spices, 300 tobacco powder, and sweet substances (on request basis)
7. 600 Pan: this preparation does include minimum spices, 600 tobacco powder, and sweet substances (on request basis)

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