Since time immemorial, Indians have been religiously & unquestioningly following various customs & traditions, but most of those traditions are actually based on scientific & logical reasoning.

Recently, we had discussed one such tradition of Indians eating food with their hands, & analyzed its scientific reasons here:

http://guruprasad.net/posts/indians-eat-hands-scientific-vedic-reasons/

Today, we shall discuss about the scientific reasoning behind eating on banana leaf and its associated benefits.

Before proceeding further, let me clarify that “banana leaf” in the article title is being used to refer to not just the banana/plantain leaf, but also various other leaves like jackfruit leaves, areca leaves, sal leaves and many more.

Depending on the kind of food, the geography, availability, climate etc, different leaves have been traditionally used by Indians for different eating habits over time. Due to space constraints in the URL, only banana leaf has been mentioned in the title. Having said that, the fact remains that Indians have been traditionally eating their food on various leaves, including the above mentioned ones for thousands of years, day in & day out.

Now, that takes us back to the original question: “Why Indians traditionally eat food on banana leaf?”

Well, the reasons are numerous but can be broadly categorized into health, nutrition, hygiene & ecological.

For centuries, Indians have always been claiming that banana leaf contains various nutrients, which might not always be available easily in their daily food intake. When food is served on banana leaves, the nutrition from the leaf gets dissolved into the food, which when consumed, offers a host of health benefits, which otherwise would not be possible through steel or plastic plates.

This has now been proven by modern science & acknowledged by various reputed scientific organizations as well. Recently, scientists had discovered that banana leaves contains polyphenols, which are actually natural anti-oxidants which get released from the banana leaf when warm/hot food is placed upon it. These anti-oxidants get absorbed into the food which then assimilates into the body upon consumption, thereby helping the person in fighting free radicals & developing stronger immunity which can ward off several potential diseases.

For example, it has now been proven that a certain type of polyphenol called Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG ) is released from banana leaf during consumption which cleanses blood & strengthens immunity.

Research Report download link:

http://www.wjpr.net/download/article/1530265840.pdf

A recent study conducted by Botany Scientists, has concluded that banana leaves help in anti-bacterial activity as well.

Reference:

http://jbsd.in/Proceeding/Naikwade%2080-84.pdf

For simplicity, we have taken the example of only banana leaf in this discussion. In reality, not just banana leaf, but even Jackfruit leaves, teak leaves, castor leaves, patravalis etc have demonstrated similar health benefits. In fact, each leaf has its own unique composition, molecular chains & enzymes which offer certain benefits.

The following table compiled by a science institute lists out the health benefits of each leaf.

Reference:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352618118300064

The above mentioned scientific studies are just a tip of the iceberg. Almost all major institutes around the globe are conducting their own research and submitting their results & conclusions to the medical fraternity, with all of them unanimously acknowledging the health benefits.

Now, we shall look at the other benefits apart from health.

The next major reasoning, is that of hygiene. This is actually self explanatory. Since a banana leaf is not re-used, the question of washing or cleaning doesn’t arise at all. In a way, this is also a form of indirect health benefit.

Next, the ecological reason. Since banana leaves are direct from nature, they are bio-degradable, and in fact, animal friendly as well. In most of the rural households which own cows or buffaloes, the used banana leaves, after a quick rinse, are disposed into the cow-sheds where the cattle actually relish the leaves.

With such high utility value with a host of benefits including health & ecological, this has not gone unnoticed among foreign entrepreneurs who are now reusing this ancient Indian tradition to repackage them as trendy options to young audience abroad. For example, a startup called “Leaf Republic” in Germany has been working very hard to spread more awareness about the benefits of eating on leaves, and have come up with various designs, ranging from simple plates to sophisticated compact lunch-boxes, all made of natural leaves, catering to the fast-paced urbanites. Looking at the kind of public response & investor funding they have been getting, it would not be a surprise if they manage to expand globally & turn it into a form of cult.

Meanwhile in India, especially in urban areas, due to the proliferation of the culture of nuclear families & other practical issues, this tradition of eating on banana leaf has gradually taken a backseat. From a daily routine in every Indian house, it has now been reduced to mere formality to be observed only during festivals & other special occasions like pujas, marriages, gruhapravesha (house warming).

However, despite this tradition vanishing from urban households, due credit must be given to specific cuisine-restaurants which have still retained this tradition and are the only medium for city-dwellers to experience this rich tradition.

For instance, almost every “Andhra-style restaurant” and most of the “Kerala-style restaurant” serves meals on banana leaves.

The Biryanis prepared in “Authentic-Karnataka-style” have gained repute over time & popularly referred to as “Donne-Biryani”, as the biryanis are served in eco-friendly containers called “Donne” which are basically palm or areca leaves. With this strategy & branding, thousands of restaurants featuring the “Donne-Biryani” tag have also retained this tradition and indirectly promoting such eco-friendly palm leaves in urban areas.

Popular restaurant chains like “Kamat Hotels” have also retained this banana leaf tradition, and hence, are a favorite haunt, especially for the orthodox families.

The list is pretty much endless, with thousands of restaurants continuing & promoting this culture even today.

With growing awareness among internet savvy youngsters, and rising popularity of banana leaf across the world (as we saw in the earlier mentioned example of German startup), there is now some hope that this ancient Indian tradition will be on its path of revival in the near future.