Thebanana leaf is theleaf of thebanana plant, which may produce up to 40 leaves in a growing cycle.^[1] The leaves have a wide range of applications because they are large, flexible, waterproof and decorative. They are used for cooking, wrapping,^[2] and food-serving in a wide range of cuisines intropical andsubtropical areas. They are used for decorative and symbolic purposes in numerousHindu andBuddhist ceremonies. In traditional home building in tropical areas, roofs and fences are made with dry banana-leafthatch.^[3] Bananas andpalm leaves were historically the primary writing surfaces in many nations ofSouth andSoutheast Asia.

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 flavor and aroma to the dish.^[5] The leaves are not themselves eaten and are discarded after the contents are consumed.^[4]

Besides adding flavor, the leaves keep juices in and protect food from burning, much as foil does.^[6] InTamil Nadu (India) leaves are fully dried and used as packing material for foodstuffs, and are also made into cups to hold liquids. The dried leaves are calledvāḻaic caruku (வாழைச் சருகு) in Tamil. Some South Indian, Filipino and Khmer recipes use banana leaves as a wrapper for frying. The leaves are later removed. In Vietnamese cuisine, banana leaves are used to wrap foods such ascha-lua.

InIndonesian cuisine, banana leaf is employed in cooking methods calledpepes andbotok; the banana-leaf packets of food are steamed, boiled, or grilled on charcoal. Banana leaves are also used to wrap several kinds of snackskue (delicacies), such asnagasari orkue pisang andotak-otak, and also to wrap pressed sticky-rice delicacies such aslemper andlontong.

In Java, banana leaf is also used as a shallow conical bowl called"pincuk", usually to serverujak tumbuk,pecel orsatay. Thepincuk secured withlidi semat (small thornlike pins made from the coconut-leaf midrib). Thepincuk fit in the left palm, while the right hand is used to consume 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 forjajan pasar orkue delicacies.

InMalaysian andSingapore cuisine, banana leaves are used to wrap certainkuih andotak-otak. Malay foods such asnasi lemak are also commonly wrapped with banana leaves before being wrapped with newspaper, as banana leaves add fragrance to the rice.

Banana leaves are the traditional method of serving food inPhilippine cuisine, with rice and other dishes laid out on large banana leaves (asalo-salo, reminiscent of abuffet) and everyone partaking using their bare hands (kamayan).^[7][8] Another traditional method of serving food is by placing it on a banana-leaf liner placed over a wovenbilao (awinnowing basket made of bamboo). Thebilao is normally a farm implement used for removingchaff from grains, although there are now smaller woven trays or carved wooden plates of the same kind in Filipino restaurants used specifically for serving food.^[9][10] Banana leaves are also commonly used in wrapping food (binalot), and are valued for the aroma they impart to the food.^[11] Specific Philippine dishes that use banana leaves includesuman andbibingka.^[12][13]

TheHawaiianimu is often lined with banana leaves.

South Indian cuisine andBengali cuisine is traditionally served on a banana leaf, especially in the states ofAndhra Pradesh,Telangana,Tamil Nadu,Karnataka,Kerala,Odisha,West Bengal and also inSri 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 likeGanesh chaturthi, people eat off banana leaves. The banana leaf is also used for wrapping fish, which can then be steamed.

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

Inkerala cuisine, banana leaf is used to prepare ila ada, or vazha ilaada, 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.^[14] 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.^[15] This is similar to the srilankan dishlamprais whose name inturn originates from the Indonesian dishlemper brought in by Dutch colonists.

InIndia, 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 withcurd as a palate cleanser. Banana leaf meals areeaten 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.

Guanimos areDominican tamales made with cornmeal, stuffed with ground meat and wrapped with banana leaves.

InPuerto 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 Ricanarepas are laid on banana leaves for a few hours before cooking.

InJamaica,Haiti,Antigua and Barbuda,Belize,French Guiana and some other islands in theLesser Antilles, there is a dessert calledduckunoo orduckanoo, also referred to astie-a-leaf orblue drawers (draws) (in Jamaica),dokonon (in French Guiana),doukunou (in Haiti),paime (in Trinidad & Tobago),penmi (in St Lucia) andducunu ortamalito (in Belize). It is similar totamal 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 inJamaican cuisine, like for steaming fish and cookingackee.

Mexican, and more specificallyOaxacantamales and a local variety of lamb orbarbacoatacos are oftensteamed in banana leaves. Banana leaves are used for wrapping pork in the traditional Yucatán dishCochinita pibil.

Vigorón' is a traditionalNicaraguan dish. It consists of a cabbage salad known ascurtido (chopped cabbage, tomatoes, onions, and chile peppers marinated in vinegar and salt), boiledyuca, andchicharrones (fried pork with skin or with meat), wrapped in Banana leaf.^[16] Variations of this dish are also found inCosta Rica.

Vaho (or Baho) is a mix of meat, greenplantains 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 thenixtamalizedcorn dough.

Nacatamal is made up mostly of nixtamalized cornmasa (a kind ofdough traditionally made from a process callednizquezar) andlard, but also includes seasonings such as salt andachiote (annatto). Filling consists of seasoned pork meat, rice, a slice ofpotato,bell pepper,tomato,onion,olives,cilantro and/or spearmint sprigs, and on occasion, though less commonly, capers, raisins or freshchile (red or green), all wrapped in banana leaves. This dish is traditional to Nicaragua.

Coast side region prepare dishes asBollo, 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 calledTonga a chicken stew with rice dyed with achiote and peanut salsa, all this served on a banana leaf and then wrapped. Amazonian provinces hasMaito where grilled fish is served with yucca and rice, wrapped in a banana leaves.

Banana leaves have also been proposed as a material out of which to make trays forairline meals, to reduce their environmental impact.^[17]

Banana leaves are used by Hindus and Buddhists as a decorative element for special functions, marriages, and ceremonies in southernIndia andSoutheast Asia.^[18]Balinese Hindu prepare banana leaves as containers for floral offerings calledcanang to thehyang (spirits or deities) and gods. These floral offerings are then placed in various places around the house.

InUpper Myanmar, the banana leaf is used in handcrafting an elaborate multi-tiered offertory known asphetsein kundaung (ဖက်စိမ်းကွမ်းတောင်). InThailand, banana leaf is used to create an offering bowl calledkrathong, an important element during festival ofLoy Krathong on the full-moon day of the twelfth lunar month.^[19] The celebration is meant to pay respects to the Mother of Water calledPhra Mae Kong Kha by floating akrathong on a body of water.^[20] Other Asian countries also have similar festivals such as in Myanmar,Laos,Cambodia,India andChina.^[19]Krathong means lotus-shaped vessel, and in it are placed flowers with joss sticks and a candle in the middle. DuringLoy Krathong, people carrykrathongs to the river. After lighting the candles and three joss sticks and making a wish, they will gently place theirkrathongs on the water and let them drift away with the current.^[19] People believed thatkrathongs 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 makekrathongs because it is an organic and natural material, and would decompose easily in the water.^[20]

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 thescripts of southern India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia such asOriya andSinhala,Burmese,Baybayin, andJavanese, for example, are thought to have been influenced by this. Sharp angles and tracing straight lines along the vein of the leaf with a sharpwriting 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.^[21]

In such situations, the ribs of the leaves function as the dividing lines ofruled paper, separating lines of text. It is believed that this was so influential in the development of the still-undecipheredrongorongo script ofEaster Island that the more elaborate wood tablets developed later were fluted to imitate the surface of a banana leaf.^[22]

The leaves containapiin which is used to makenanoparticle products.^[23]

• 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, andsuman, Filipino rice cakes which are traditionally wrapped in banana leaves.

• Banana leaf
• Objects used in Hindu worship
• Writing media
• Culture of India
• Culture of Southeast Asia
• Desi culture
• Bananas in culture

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• CS1 uses Thai-language script (th)
• Articles with short description
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