Wrapped items such as burritos, samosas, and shwarma are trendy worldwide, but leaf-wrapped dishes are still lesser known. Tamales in Mexico, pasteles in Latin American countries, bibingka in the Phillippines, kakinoha-zushi (leaf-wrapped sushi) in Japan, and pepes in Indonesia are food items that are cooked or wrapped in a leaf. The appeal of a leaf wrap lies in its distinctive aroma and flavour.
Indian cuisine uses a lot of leaf wrapped recipes. The most common ones are idli (in South India) and aloo vadi in West India. The Gujarati dish, patra is made from shallow-fried colocasia leaves and is often sold in packets. Macher Paturi is a beloved Bengali dish where fish is marinated in mustard oil, nigella seeds, turmeric, banana leaves, mustard paste, sugar, and salt wrapped in a banana leaf.
Even sweet dishes can be leaf-wrapped, such as valsan from Kerala, where rice flakes, grated coconut, jaggery, and cardamom powder are used to make a sweet filling that is covered in rice flour and wrapped in a banana leaf. Leaves are often used heavily in the preparation of a dish as well. Some examples are bathua saag, palak dal khichdi, sarson ka saag, and damni dhokla.
If you’re a fan of this delightful cuisine, then this quiz is for you!
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