Banana leaf
The banana leaf is the
Applications in cuisine
Banana leaves are large, flexible, and waterproof.[4] They impart an aroma to food that is cooked in or served on them; steaming with banana leaves imparts a subtle sweet flavour and aroma to the dish.[5] The leaves are not themselves eaten and are discarded after the contents are consumed.[4]
Besides adding flavour, the leaves keep juices in and protect food from burning, much as foil does.
By region
Austronesia
In Indonesian cuisine
In Indonesian cuisine, banana leaf is employed in cooking methods called pepes and botok; the banana-leaf packets of food are steamed, boiled, or grilled on charcoal. Banana leaves are also used to wrap several kinds of snacks kue (delicacies), such as nagasari or kue pisang and otak-otak, and also to wrap pressed sticky-rice delicacies such as lemper and lontong.
In Java, banana leaf is also used as a shallow conical bowl called "pincuk", usually to serve
In Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine
In
In Philippine cuisine
Banana leaves are the traditional method of serving food in
In Polynesian cuisine
The
South Asia
In Bengali cuisine
In
In Indian cuisine
In
Latin America
In Caribbean and Mexican cuisine
Guanimos are Dominican tamales made with cornmeal, stuffed with ground meat and wrapped with banana leaves.
In Puerto Rico pasteles are made primarily with fresh green banana dough stuffed with pork, and then wrapped in banana leaves which have been softened at the fire. Many rice dishes in Puerto Rico are cooked with banana leaves as a lid to add flavor and aroma. Fish and pork shoulder can be wrapped in plantain leaves and baked. Guanimes known as Puerto Rican tamales, cornmeal cooked with coconut milk and other ingredients, are wrapped in banana leaves. Sweet cassava tortillas and Puerto Rican arepas are laid on banana leaves for a few hours before cooking.
Mexican, and more specifically Oaxacan tamales and a local variety of lamb or barbacoa tacos are often steamed in banana leaves. Banana leaves are used for wrapping pork in the traditional Yucatán dish Cochinita pibil.
In Central American cuisine
Tamales made throughout Central America are traditionally wrapped in banana leaves prior to cooking, which imparts a distinctive taste to the nixtamalized corn dough.
In Ecuadorian cuisine
Coast side region prepare dishes as Bollo, green plantain and peanut butter batter filled with fish or pork wrapped in a banana leaf, this is then baked in a brick oven or steamed. Manabi province prepare a dish called Tonga a chicken stew with rice dyed with achiote and peanut salsa, all this served on a banana leaf and then wrapped. Amazonian provinces has Maito where grilled fish is served with yucca and rice, wrapped in a banana leaves.
Other uses
Banana leaves have also been proposed as a material out of which to make trays for airline meals, to reduce their environmental impact.[15]
In tradition and religion
Banana leaves are used by Hindus and Buddhists as a decorative element for special functions, marriages, and ceremonies in southern India and Southeast Asia.[16] Balinese Hindu prepare banana leaves as containers for floral offerings called canang to the hyang (spirits or deities) and gods. These floral offerings are then placed in various places around the house.
In Upper Myanmar, the banana leaf is used in handcrafting an elaborate multi-tiered offertory known as phetsein kundaung (ဖက်စိမ်းကွမ်းတောင်). In Thailand, banana leaf is used to create an offering bowl called krathong, an important element during festival of Loy Krathong on the full-moon day of the twelfth lunar month.[17] The celebration is meant to pay respects to the Mother of Water called Phra Mae Kong Kha by floating a krathong on a body of water.[18] Other Asian countries also have similar festivals such as in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, India and China.[17] Krathong means lotus-shaped vessel, and in it are placed flowers with joss sticks and a candle in the middle. During Loy Krathong, people carry krathongs to the river. After lighting the candles and three joss sticks and making a wish, they will gently place their krathongs on the water and let them drift away with the current.[17] People believed that krathongs will carry their wickedness and bad luck, and after that happiness will come to them. It is a time joy and merrymaking, dancing, singing, and activities with other people. People use banana leaves to make krathongs because it is an organic and natural material, and would decompose easily in the water.[18]
As a writing surface
Banana and palm leaves were historically the primary writing surface in many nations of South and Southeast Asia. This has influenced the evolution of their scripts. The rounded letters of many of the
In such situations, the ribs of the leaves function as the dividing lines of ruled paper, separating lines of text. It is believed that this was so influential in the development of the still-undeciphered rongorongo script of Easter Island that the more elaborate wood tablets developed later were fluted to imitate the surface of a banana leaf.[20]
Other uses
The leaves contain apiin which is used to make nanoparticle products.[21]
See also
- Patravali, a dried leaf eating plate
- Banana leaf rice
- Strelitzia, a bird of paradise plant with similarly shaped leaves.
- Cochinita pibil, a Yucatán Mexican dish that wraps pork in banana leaves.
- Puto, bibingka, and suman, Filipino rice cakes which are traditionally wrapped in banana leaves.
References
- ^ "Why Won't a Banana Plant's Leaves Open?". SFGate. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- ^ Nace, Trevor (2019-03-25). "Thailand Supermarket Ditches Plastic Packaging For Banana Leaves". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
- ^ Molina, A.B.; Roa, V.N.; Van den Bergh, I.; Maghuyop, M.A. Advancing banana and plantain R & D in Asia and the Pacific. p. 84. Archived from the original on 2017-12-12.
- ^ a b Frozen Banana Leaf Archived 2012-06-30 at the Wayback Machine, Temple of Thai Food Store
- ^ Black Cod Steamed in Banana Leaves with Thai Marinade Archived 2012-06-22 at the Wayback Machine, Frog Mom
- ^ "Banana". Hortpurdue.edu. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
- ^ Elizabeth Ann Quirino (16 December 2014). "Have Filipino food, will travel". Inquirer. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ Margaret Littman. "Authentic Filipino Food Comes to Nashville for One-Night SALO Project Pop-Up". Nola Defender. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ "What I Ate @ Eureka (Palmeras)". The Hungry Giant. 5 January 2012. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ "Uses of Bilao, Round Bamboo Tray". Luntian Laboratory. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ Rowena Dumlao-Giardina (28 October 2014). "Savor the Philippines with this lunch wrapped in banana leaves". SheKnows. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ Maan D'Asis Pamaran (22 December 2014). "Christmas: It's really more fun in the Philippines". Manila Standard Today. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ Vanjo Merano (27 December 2010). "Suman sa Lihiya". Panlasang Pinoy. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ "Vigorón Recipe (Nicaraguan yuca, pork rind and cabbage salad) | Nicaragua | Whats4Eats". 11 August 2009. Archived from the original on 2013-09-24. Retrieved 2013-06-27.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- New Indian Express. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ a b c Department of Cultural Promotion, Ministry of Culture (October 2014). "ลอยกระทง" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
- ^ a b Seamlaem, S (10 May 2011). "School" ภูมิปัญญาไทยกับงานใบตอง. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
- ^ Sanford Steever, 'Tamil Writing', in Daniels & Bright, The World's Writing Systems, 1996, p. 426
- Mouton. p. 1169.
- S2CID 235672201.