The story behind the tradition of using Paan leaves in foods and rituals | The Times of India

While in India we use betel leaves as a mouth freshener post meals, traditionally, the use of betel leaves in meals comes from Vietnam, where the leaves are used to wrap spicy morsels of meat. If we talk about culinary uses of betel leaves in India, the most common and popular use is of mouth freshener as ‘Paan’, and apart from that it is mostly used as a flavour. As a key ingredient, betel leaves are used to make Paan Patta Chaat, Paan Ice Cream, and even Paan Sorbet. Take a look at these recipes.