India and paan shops have a history as old as time. Paan shops have also been a very significant part of India’s tradition. Indians love to have the juicy and delicious mouth freshener. It then starts melting in their mouth from the very first bite. Paan shops in Rajasthan are also worth exploring.
The specialty of these betel quid or paan is the customization according to every person’s taste. Usually, every person has a dedicated paan shop that they are loyal to and the owner of the paan shop surprisingly knows the specifications of all his customers.
In earlier India, Paan shops were not just shops where you would go to buy paan, they were an emotion. The first place to break the news would be the nearest paan shop. The very few places where you could listen to radios in earlier times were the paan shops and hence a lot of people would be gathered around. On special days such as cricket matches, election results or any special event in the country, the paan shops would be flooded with people. A different kind of enthusiasm existed in people celebrating India’s win or listening to the election results. Sharing grief over a national issue or a local issue, people all around the nation would be gathered around the paan shops sharing all their emotions.
The Rajasthani Paan Shops
In Rajasthan, there are a wide variety of paan flavors and paan shops to look forward to. Here is a list of paan shops in Rajasthan you can go to:
- Raghukul Paan Bhandar, Jaipur
The Raghukul Paan Bhandar in Jaipur is widely known for it’s meetha (sweet) paan.
- Murli Paan Bhandar, Jaipur
Then, the Murli Paan Bhandar is one of the oldest paan shops in Jaipur. It maintains its taste over the years across its franchises.
- Anu Mobile Paan Bhandar, Jaipur
The Anu Mobile Paan Bhandar is widely known for the variety of flavors that they offer and their lavish AC shop. It is common among people of all age groups.
- Mastana Paan, Udaipur
The Mastana Paan Shop in Udaipur is known mainly for the flavors they offer. They offer everything from traditional to contemporary flavours such as- Strawberry paan, chocolate paan, Kolkata saada paan, singoda special meetha paan, etc.
- Lovely Paan Bhandar, Udaipur
The Lovely Paan Bhandar in Udaipur is known for the amazing and delicious taste of its paan flavors.
Did you see Rajasthani Thali: What’s on your plate?
The new flavors
Today, paan shops have evolved a lot. From the traditional paan thelas to AC paan shops, from traditional flavors to new succulent flavors, you’ll get any and almost everything. Some famous paan types and flavors are:
- Chocolate Paan
Chocolate lovers drool in their favorite flavor of the perfect combination – chocolate and paan. With the sweetness of the betel leaf, the coating of chocolate is a combination to die for.
- Ice Cream Paan
Who would have thought that one day there will be a combination of two post meal deserts. But, here we are enjoying the coldness of ice cream and sweetness of paan together. The pan is served in a bowl with a scoop of ice cream.
- Strawberry Paan
One more new flavor loved by people here, is the strawberry paan. Filled with your favorite paan masala and coated with strawberry syrup, this is a must try for all the strawberry lovers.
- Fire Paan
As weird as it may sound, fire paan is actually a talk of the town amongst the paan lovers. The paan is stuffed with regular filling, it is then set ablaze and thrust into the mouth of the customer. This one of a kind paan is surely one that cannot be missed.
- Ice Paan
Paan-clusion
By now, we know about ice cream paan, but ice paan is also a different variety in itself. Crushed ice is garnished on the paan before serving it to the customers. This gives an instant ‘thandak’ to the consumer.
We have definitely come a long way in the evolution of paan flavors. But, the original flavor of paan has its own charm. A betel leaf with chuna, kattha, thandai, elaichi, chutney, gulkand and supari folded into a perfect paan and sealed with a clove on top. Indians prefer paan post meals not only for the juicy and sweet taste but also because it helps in proper digestion. With some great health benefits and amazing taste, paan and paan shops have lived in India since the beginning of time.
Also read: 5 Rajasthani Chutneys: Recipes from the State
Also follow Rajasthan Studio on Instagram for more amazing art and travel content. Reach out to us on email at contact[at]rajasthanstudio[dot]com. This blog is curated by Rajasthan Studio and written by Sharavu Sunil Talatule.
