Banana leaf

By region

Austronesia

Banana leaves are a standard item in traditional cooking of the Austronesian peoples which propagated and spread the plant across Maritime Southeast Asia all the way to tropical Polynesia.

In Java

The banana leaf is employed in packaging of dishes across Java like the Sundanese pepes and Javanese botok; these leaf packets of food are steamed, boiled, or grilled on charcoal. Banana leaves are also used to wrap several kinds of kue such as nagasari or kue pisang and otak-otak, and also to wrap pressed sticky-rice delicacies such as lemper and lontong.

Banana leaves are made into shallow conical bowls called pincuk secured with lidi semat (pins made from the coconut-leaf midrib), usually to serve rujak tumbuk, pecel or satay. These pincuk are receptacle held in the left hand, while the right one is used to take the food. It also functions as a traditional disposable take-away food container. The cleaned banana leaf is often used as a placemat; cut banana-leaf sheets placed on rattan, bamboo or clay plates are used to serve food. Decorated and folded banana leaves on woven bamboo plates are used as serving trays, tumpeng rice cones, and holders for jajan pasar or kue delicacies.

In Malay Peninsula and nearby islands

Banana leaves are used to wrap certain kuih and otak-otak common of Malay foods in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Nasi lemak are also commonly wrapped with banana leaves before the arrival and availability of (old) newspaper, as banana leaves add fragrance to the rice.

Banana leaves in Singapore were once singularly sourced locally from suppliers in Kerbau Road until they were moved to a market near Kandang Kerbau Hospital, with leaf supplies now procured from Pontian and Batu Pahat in neighbouring Johore.

In Sumatra

Banana leaves are part of the Mandailing nasi upah-upah rice set topped with dishes of fish, prawns, chicken, goat and buffalo heads, placed on a banana leaf-lined bamboo tray (nyiru) and covered with another banana leaf sheet on top.

In Philippine cuisine

Banana leaves are the traditional method of serving food in Philippine cuisine, with rice and other dishes laid out on large banana leaves (a salo-salo, reminiscent of a buffet) and everyone partaking using their bare hands (kamayan).

Additionally, another traditional method of serving food is by placing it on a banana-leaf liner placed over a woven bamboo rice winnowing basket (bilao); large bilao used for removing chaff from grains were normally used directly for such servings, there are now smaller woven trays or carved wooden plates of the same kind in Filipino restaurants used specifically for serving food. Banana leaves are also commonly used in wrapping food (binalot), and are valued for the aroma they impart to the food. Specific Philippine dishes that use banana leaves include suman and bibingka.

In Polynesian cuisine

The Hawaiian imu used to cook foods is often lined with banana leaves.

South Asia

South Indian cuisine and Bengali cuisine is traditionally served on a banana leaf, especially in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, West Bengal and also in Sri Lanka. In these regions, it is customary to serve food on a banana leaf during festive occasions, and banana is often a part of the food served. In Maharashtra, on special occasions like Ganesh chaturthi, people eat off banana leaves. The banana leaf is also used for wrapping fish, which can then be steamed.

In Bengali cuisine

In Bengali cuisine, banana leaf is used to prepare Paturi, which is marinated and seasoned boneless fresh fish steamed and cooked inside a banana leaf and eaten on it. Commonly, Bhetki and Ilish are used in making Paturi. Bengali cuisine also have a great significance and sacred believe for having meal on a banana leaf.

In Kerala cuisine

In kerala cuisine, banana leaf is used to prepare ila ada, or vazha ila ada, a kind of steamed dumpling filled with coconut sweetened using jaggery or sugar. Another popular dish is meen vazha ilayil pollichathu or just meen pollichathu, Literally meaning fish grilled inside banana leaf. This is made by wrapping fish in a banana leaf with curry like base. A key need for banana leaf in grilling is to provide a non sticky layer, which will avoid the fish from burning and sticking to the grill, griddle or embers due to direct contact. The leaf also imparts a smell and flavour to the fish. Similar trend is found in packed meals called "pothichoru", which literally means packed rice. Banana leaf is lightly heated under the flame to turn it flexible and then rice, curries and stir fries are poured in, folded and tied using a thread. This is similar to the srilankan dish lamprais whose name inturn originates from the Indonesian dish lemper brought in by Dutch colonists.

In Indian cuisine

In India, white rice (or parboiled rice in authentic South Indian restaurants) is served on a banana leaf with an assortment of vegetables, pickles, appalam and other regional condiments (usually sour, salty or spicy). The banana leaf acts as a disposable plate and it in itself is not consumed. The choice of banana leaves is mainly due to the broad leaves as well as to the ubiquity of the plant in South India. Typically, only vegetarian gravy (e.g. sambar) will be served on the rice as it is meant to be a traditional vegetarian dish. However, sometimes boiled eggs, curried or fried meat or seafood are served as well. Traditionally, there will be two servings of rice with the first being served with gravy, side dishes and condiments whilst the second serving will be just rice with curd as a palate cleanser. Banana leaf meals are eaten by hand. Traditionally, only the right hand is used, and only the tips of the fingers should touch the food. Any part of the finger beyond the first knuckle or the palm must not touch the food. Parts of the banana leaf meal etiquette also dictates that, after the meal, the guest must always fold the banana leaf inwards as a sign of gratitude to the host, even when the host is the proprietor of an eatery. However, when meals are served at funeral wakes, the leaf is folded outwards as a sign of condolence to the family of the deceased. Due to this, folding the leaf outwards is considered rude in any other circumstance.

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. Cazuela is a traditional pie made with coconut milk, squash, sweet potato, spices, and raisins cooked in a clay pot layered in banana leaves.

In Jamaica, Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, French Guiana and some other islands in the Lesser Antilles, there is a dessert called duckunoo or duckanoo, also referred to as tie-a-leaf or blue drawers (draws) (in Jamaica), dokonon (in French Guiana), doukunou (in Haiti), paime (in Trinidad & Tobago), penmi (in St Lucia) and ducunu or tamalito (in Belize). It is similar to tamal dulce (sweet tamale), and is typically made with batata or sweet potato, coconut, cornmeal, spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and anise, brown sugar, coconut milk and vanilla. Sometimes, pumpkin, plantain and raisins are used. The mixture is tied up in a banana leaf, and then cooked in boiling water. The more savoury version, pastelles, is made in Trinidad and Tobago. Also, banana leaves are used in other ways in Jamaican cuisine, like for steaming fish and cooking ackee.

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

Vigorón' is a traditional Nicaraguan dish. It consists of a cabbage salad known as curtido (chopped cabbage, tomatoes, onions, and chile peppers marinated in vinegar and salt), boiled yuca, and chicharrones (fried pork with skin or with meat), wrapped in Banana leaf. Variations of this dish are also found in Costa Rica.

Vaho (or Baho) is a mix of meat, green plantains and yuca cooked in banana leaves.

Tamales made throughout Central America are traditionally wrapped in banana leaves prior to cooking, which imparts a distinctive taste to the nixtamalized corn dough.

Nacatamal is made up mostly of nixtamalized corn masa (a kind of dough traditionally made from a process called nizquezar) and lard, but also includes seasonings such as salt and achiote (annatto). Filling consists of seasoned pork meat, rice, a slice of potato, bell pepper, tomato, onion, olives, cilantro and/or spearmint sprigs, and on occasion, though less commonly, capers, raisins or fresh chile (red or green), all wrapped in banana leaves. This dish is traditional to Nicaragua.

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.

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. 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. 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. Other Asian countries also have similar festivals such as in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, India and China. 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. 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.

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 scripts of southern India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia such as Oriya and Sinhala, Burmese, Baybayin, and Javanese, for example, are thought to have been influenced by this. Sharp angles and tracing straight lines along the vein of the leaf with a sharp writing implement would risk splitting the leaf and ruining the surface, so rounded letters, or letters with straight lines only in the vertical or diagonal direction, were required for practical daily use.

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.

Other uses

The leaves also contain apiin which is used to make nanoparticle products.