It is called Paan!
Used as a palate cleanser, breath freshener and also for digestive purposes, paan is a notable item at the food table. Mandatory in many religious rituals, the almost addictive chew has an incandescent past as well.[break]
Though much loved in India, its popularity is not restricted to the Indian subcontinent only. The people of Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and of course, Nepal, admire the leafy delight.
Here we take a look at some of the most famous and old paan pasals (shops) in Kathmandu.
Top Prince Paan Bhandar,
Kamal Pokhari
With 14 years of service under their belt, the folks at Top Prince have a reputation of providing fancy as well as quality paans to their customers.
“We order the leaves that we use here from Banaras or Kolkata in India, as the leaves aren’t grown in Nepal,” says Ajay Kumar Shah, the paan preparer at the shop.
According to Shah, his shop sells around 300 paans a day, with most of them being meetha paan, a combination of sweeteners with the basic mixture. Jarda paan is a tobacco-laced preparation, and it also sells well, he adds. The shop also provides special paans, some costing as much as Rs. 1,500 in which they use special masala, and are usually bought by people for weddings or spiritual events.
“We also have a special jarda paan worth Rs.100 which has a different taste,” adds Shah. “We have a large variety, and most of them are made to order.”
Shree Ram Paan Bhandar
New Baneshwor
Established in 1981, this “paan pasal” has been a famous location among paan lovers in Kathmandu. A favorite among political personalities, like Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Pradip Giri and others, the shop has been well known for the flavors of the paans they provide.
“We sell about 300 paans everyday, and most of them are jarda ones. We get the leaves from a shop at Sundhara who import it from India,” says Mahesh Kumar Shah, the shop owner.
“Before democracy (1990), there were very few people who chewed paan. However, there are many people who enjoy it now. As a result, many more pan stalls have sprung up, catering to their customers,” he adds.
The shop prepares special Jarda Paan priced from Rs. 150 to 300, with Baba’s Navaratna 600 Masala being the clincher, which one can’t buy elsewhere in Nepal, informs Shah.
Khusbhu Paan Bhandar
Shanti Nagar Gate
Though not as big as most famous paan pasals, this spot has been touted as one of the best paan providers by betel-leaf admirers.
Shopkeeper Raj Kumar Shah says that his stall has been around for 16 years. “We sell about 250 paans a day, and it’s mostly jarda lovers who visit here,” he informs.
“We provide special paans at Rs 25 and Rs 125 each, the latter is mostly used by customers for gifts and offerings,” he mentions.
The shop also buys the leaves from a trader at Sundhara. Shah also adds that paan chewing has increased rapidly in a short time.
New V.I.P. Paan Bhandar,
Ranjana Galli, New Road
This paan shop has been around for three decades now, and has a notable number of connoisseurs who love the taste of the paan here.
“We buy our leaves from Sundhara, as most paan shopkeepers do. But we prepare our paan in a special way for which way we have our loyal customers,” says Charasi, the proud owner.
Though the shop does not have special paans, the flavor of the particular paan he conjures up is well known.
“We prepare our paan according to the individual preference of each customer, what they want in it, and what they don’t. So they love our paans,” Charasi concludes.
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