Taste of Nepal

Dishes and ingredients,

Leaf Plates of Nepal (Tapari, Duna, Bota)

by Jyoti Pathak

Tapari, Duna and Bota are the disposable, multipurpose leaf plates and bowls made by stitching Saal ko Paat with a small bamboo sticks. Saal trees (Shorea Robusta) are most commonly found in the Terai regions of Nepal and are used for timber, fuel woods. The leaves are used for plates and animal feeds, while the seeds and fruits have Ayurvedic medicinal use. Nepalese use the fresh leaf plates and bowls for many occasions, including religious rituals, child's rice feeding ceremony, many festival feasts (bhoye), and marriage ceremony. The dry saal leaf plates are mostly used for picnics, restaurant use, village parties, and at the street food stalls as a disposable plates.

Tapari - is a lightly curved plate made by stitching several saal leaves together with a fine bamboo sticks (sinka). The shiny fresh green leaves are very flexible and have a lot of moisture, making it easy to twist, squeeze, and shape into plates without breaking the leaves.
Duna - is a medium-size bowl, either circular or rectangular and can be used to hold semi-liquid objects.
Bota - is usually made by using a single saal leaf, stitched together into small bowl.

Religious significance - In Buddhist tradition, it is said that Queen Māyā of Sakya gave birth to Gautama Buddha under a saal tree or an ashoka tree in a garden in Lumbini, in south Nepal, while grasping its branch. When this event took place, Queen Māyā was en route to birth him in his grandfather's kingdom. It is also said that four pairs of saal trees growing around the Buddha's bed suddenly turned white when he died. Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shorea_robusta

Nyatapola Temple - In Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, one can find typical Nepali pagoda temple architectures with very rich wooden carvings, and most of the temples, such as Nyatapol Temple (Nyatapola), are made of bricks and saal tree wood. Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shorea_robusta

Leaf Plates of Nepal (Tapari, Duna, Bota)

The shiny dark-green saal ko paat is collected by hand-picking from the lower branches of the tree. Some freshly fallen leaves are also collected from the ground. It is then neatly stacked together, tied with a thin bamboo rope and made into bundles, then taken to the market for sale or supplied to a different vendors.

A local store keeper in Asan Tole bazaar, Kathmandu (a busy market for locals) is selling saal leaves. He is stitching together the leaves to create more leaf plates.
A local store keeper in Asan Tole bazaar, Kathmandu (a busy market for locals) is selling saal leaves. He is stitching together the leaves to create more leaf plates.
The shiny natural dark green color of the saal leaves.
The shiny natural dark green color of the saal leaves.
Street vendor selling saal leaves during festival times.
Street vendor selling saal leaves during festival times.
Walking through the streets of the Durbar Squares of Hanuman Dhoka area, Kathmandu during the festival of Maghe Sankranti and capturing the image of freshly transported huge bundles of Saal leaves for sale.
Walking through the streets of the Durbar Squares of Hanuman Dhoka area, Kathmandu during the festival of Maghe Sankranti and capturing the image of freshly transported huge bundles of Saal leaves for sale.
Display of items used in making leaf plates - the thin bamboo sticks in a bundle, fresh leaves and green ropes (sinka, paat, doori).
Display of items used in making leaf plates - the thin bamboo sticks in a bundle, fresh leaves and green ropes (sinka, paat, doori).
Leaf Plates of Nepal (Tapari, Duna, Bota)

Krishna Maya Prajapati is demonstrating how to create traditional leaf plates. She is using 12 leaves to make a medium-size tapari. Starting with the center part first, she places two leaves in the middle, then arranges other leaves in a circular pattern (like a plate). She stitches and attaches all the pieces securely with 1/2 inch bamboo sticks creating a flat circular plate. She holds the flat leaf with one hand, squeezes and folds with other hand to make a slightly curved plates that is secured with a bamboo stick.

Close up look
Close up look
Leaf Plates of Nepal (Tapari, Duna, Bota)

The shiny side of the leaves are placed faced up on top of the other leaf.

The finished product! Saal leave plates are considered pure, sacred, and auspicious (chokho) in Nepal, and used in many religious rituals.
The finished product! Saal leave plates are considered pure, sacred, and auspicious (chokho) in Nepal, and used in many religious rituals.
Thank you Krishna Maya for showing me an excellent work of art! Making leaf plates and bowls requires time and skills.
Thank you Krishna Maya for showing me an excellent work of art! Making leaf plates and bowls requires time and skills.
Duna - is a medium-size bowl, either circular or rectangular and can be used to hold semi-liquids objects.
Duna - is a medium-size bowl, either circular or rectangular and can be used to hold semi-liquids objects.
Serving Badaam Saadheko (spiced nuts for snacks) - in a typical Nepali brass plate lined with saal ko paat.
Serving Badaam Saadheko (spiced nuts for snacks) - in a typical Nepali brass plate lined with saal ko paat.
Leaf Plates of Nepal (Tapari, Duna, Bota)

Binayak's rice feeding ceremony in Kathmandu - a very attractive and large special occasion leaf plate have been stitched. The auspicious food items are placed around the large quantity of cooked rice during Pasni ceremony. (photo used with permission)

Leaf Plates of Nepal (Tapari, Duna, Bota)

Annaprashana ceremony (the first rice-feeding ceremony for an infant) - a giant woven leaf plate is made from saal leaves for this religious occasion. Many elaborate dishes are cooked (rice, vegetables, meat, fish, sweets, dry-fruits, fresh fruits) and placed in a small leaf bowls (duna, bota). The rice is placed in the center and small food items are placed surrounding the rice. (photo used with permission).

Saal leaves - integral part of religious rituals in Nepal.
Saal leaves - integral part of religious rituals in Nepal.
Leaf Plates of Nepal (Tapari, Duna, Bota)

Photo taken at the Annaprashana ceremony (the Pasni) - Nepali rice feeding ceremony of a child. The fresh saal leaves and stitched together to make a large plate for this special occasion - food items, the floral offerings, ritual objects and placed around the large decorative tapari.

Smiling Hindu priest is surrounded by gifts (daan) placed in the saal leaves given by devotee during the religious festival of Maghe Sankranti in Nepal.
Smiling Hindu priest is surrounded by gifts (daan) placed in the saal leaves given by devotee during the religious festival of Maghe Sankranti in Nepal.
For religious rituals - burning traditional, hand-made, rope-shaped incense (dhoop) used in numerous Hindu ceremonies.
For religious rituals - burning traditional, hand-made, rope-shaped incense (dhoop) used in numerous Hindu ceremonies.
Saal leaves bowls are used to hold batti (made out of cotton balls, soaked in oil) - they are lighted for many religious rituals.
Saal leaves bowls are used to hold batti (made out of cotton balls, soaked in oil) - they are lighted for many religious rituals.
Saal leaves are used to create home-made floating-light to be placed in the sacred river.
Saal leaves are used to create home-made floating-light to be placed in the sacred river.
Around many temple areas - vendors are selling floral offering, incense, other religious objects placed in the fresh hand-stitched tapari plates.
Around many temple areas - vendors are selling floral offering, incense, other religious objects placed in the fresh hand-stitched tapari plates.
Close-up look of religious offerings placed in the tapari plates outside the Budhanilkantha Temple, Kathmandu.
Close-up look of religious offerings placed in the tapari plates outside the Budhanilkantha Temple, Kathmandu.
Machine-made dry saal leaf plates and bowl at the wholesale market in the Asan market, Kathmandu.
Machine-made dry saal leaf plates and bowl at the wholesale market in the Asan market, Kathmandu.
Machine-made leaf bowls are sold in many local stores in Kathmandu. Demand for dry saal leaf plates to use as bowls is increasing rapidly because they are biodegradable and compostable.
Machine-made leaf bowls are sold in many local stores in Kathmandu. Demand for dry saal leaf plates to use as bowls is increasing rapidly because they are biodegradable and compostable.
Three sizes of machine-made tapari plates - the large ones are used for dinner or lunch, the medium-size are used for snacks, and the small bowls are used for semi-liquid foods items, warm or cold.
Three sizes of machine-made tapari plates - the large ones are used for dinner or lunch, the medium-size are used for snacks, and the small bowls are used for semi-liquid foods items, warm or cold.
Machine-made duna-tapari started to appear in Nepali markets several years ago only. Now it is extensively used by street food sellers, fast-food vendors, restaurants, hotels and even at parties.
Machine-made duna-tapari started to appear in Nepali markets several years ago only. Now it is extensively used by street food sellers, fast-food vendors, restaurants, hotels and even at parties.
Serving momo (bite-size dumpling filled with meat or vegetables) with sauce in a disposable leak-proof duna bowl.
Serving momo (bite-size dumpling filled with meat or vegetables) with sauce in a disposable leak-proof duna bowl.
An attractive machine-made leaf bowl with freshly steamed momo with tomato chutney.
An attractive machine-made leaf bowl with freshly steamed momo with tomato chutney.
During the auspicious festival of Shivaratri - dry saal leaf plates are used to distribute food (poori, haluwa and aloo tarkari) near Shiva Temple, Hanuman Dhoka area, Kathmandu.
During the auspicious festival of Shivaratri - dry saal leaf plates are used to distribute food (poori, haluwa and aloo tarkari) near Shiva Temple, Hanuman Dhoka area, Kathmandu.
Small children holding and walking the light and flexible leaf plates during the Shivaratri festival feast.
Small children holding and walking the light and flexible leaf plates during the Shivaratri festival feast.
The rectangular machine-made dry leaf plates (chaar-kune tapari) - used in one of the pre-wedding feast (bhoj) given by my friend, Pratima, for her son's marriage.
The rectangular machine-made dry leaf plates (chaar-kune tapari) - used in one of the pre-wedding feast (bhoj) given by my friend, Pratima, for her son's marriage.
Food items are being placed in the leaf plates during the feast.
Food items are being placed in the leaf plates during the feast.
Leaf Plates of Nepal (Tapari, Duna, Bota)

The used leaf plates are headed to the compost pile. They are easy to dispose and an environmental friendly product.

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