A lot of people ask us about what paan is, what it consists of and what it looks like. Paan is chewed by South Asians and it can have tobacco added to it. My aim here is to distinguish the different types of mixtures that are chewed by the Bangladeshi community in Tower Hamlets.
Examples of other Smoke less tobacco products are here: Smoking and Cancer Notes
These cover a broad range of cultures and countries showing that tobacco is not just a South Asian Thing.
Paan and Tobacco in Tower Hamlets
The first picture shows how a ‘paan quid’ is prepared by a Bengali lady. The second illustrates an assortment of fillings for a ‘paan quid’.
These are the typical images you would see in and around Tower Hamlets Bangladeshi community. If were to be invited to Bangladeshi household for lunch or dinner chances are a ‘paan daan’ (paan tray) will be brought after the meal. And if you happen to attend a Bangladeshi wedding the ‘nikah’ or ‘akth’ ceremony is said over a ornately decorated paan assortment provided by the brides mother.
The products commonly used in Tower Hamlets are; the paan leaf or betel leaf, areca nut or ‘betel nut’(chopped up) This is then accompanied by lime paste (‘chun’ or ‘chunna’) and tobacco leaf. The tobacco products used are sweet fragrant tobacco or the dry cured tobacco leaf. The sweet tobacco has a strong rose or camphor fragrance and can be bought at local grocery shops and cost as little as £0.40p. The dry leaf, looks very pale and can also be purchased from the shops. A 1kg packet can be bought for less than £5 or brought over by relatives from Bangladesh.
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