Tiffin carriers ordabbas are a kind oflunch box used widely inAsia and theCaribbean fortiffin meals. FromIndia, they spread toMalaysia andSingapore[1] and toTrinidad and Tobago.[2]
In the Indian city ofMumbai, there is a complex and efficient delivery system that regularly delivers hot lunches packed indabbas to cityoffice workers from their suburban homes or from acaterer. It uses delivery workers known asdabbawalas.[1]
The bookTiffin: An Untold Story covers 172 tiffin carriers, some over a century old.[3][4]
InCambodia, tiffin carriers are known asChan Srak (Khmer:ចានស្រាក់), inHokkien they are calledUánn-tsân (Chinese:碗層), inIndonesian asrantang;mangkuk tingkat ('tiered bowls') inMalay; while in Thai they are known asPin To (Thai:ปิ่นโต [ˈpìn ˈtoː]). InArab countries they are calledsafartas (سفرطاس, fromTurkish "sefer tası" meaning 'travel bowls'). The Hungarian word for a tiffin box iséthordó ('food carrier').
Normally these containers come with two or three tiers, although more elaborate versions can have four. The bottom tier, sometimes larger than the others, is the one usually used for rice. Tiffin carriers are opened by unlocking a small catch on either side of the handle. Tiffin carriers are generally made out of steel and sometimes ofaluminium, butenamel and plastic versions have been made by European companies.
