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Paan Shop - Just A Street Shot, Lucknow

Paan (Hindi: पान from Sanskrit parṇa, "leaf") is a preparation combining betel leaf with areca nut and sometimes also with tobacco. It is chewed for its stimulant and psychoactive effects. After chewing it is either spat out or swallowed. Paan has many variations. Slaked lime (chunnam) paste is commonly added to bind the leaves. Some South Asian preparations include katha paste or mukhwas to freshen the breath.

 

Paan is originally from and native to India/Pakistan but it has spread to other countries such as Burma and Vietnam. Paan is also consumed in many other Asian countries and elsewhere in the world by some Asian emigrants, with or without tobacco, in an addictive and euphoria-inducing formulation with adverse health effects.

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Uploaded on January 21, 2015
Taken on September 3, 2014