English
বাংলা
The story
Maheshkhali is the only hilly island in Bangladesh, a low ridge of forested hills rising out of the coastal plain across the channel from Cox's Bazar town. Local people say paan has been grown here for at least two hundred years, and today it is the island's defining crop. Betel vineyards, or baroujs, line the slopes and the flat land in unions such as Boro Maheshkhali, Choto Maheshkhali, Hoanak, Shaplapur and Kalarmarchhara, and tens of thousands of households depend on them.
The island has two kinds of barouj. On the hills, a vineyard roofed and fenced with bamboo and straw can keep producing for several years. On the low flat land, where monsoon water stands, farmers usually grow a seasonal crop through the dry months, roughly from October to May. Leaves are picked by hand every week or two, sorted by size and tied into biras of 80 leaves for the island's weekly markets, where wholesalers from Chattogram and Dhaka buy them by the truckload. Some of the crop is exported, mainly for South Asian communities in the Middle East, Malaysia, Europe and North America.
Farmers credit the leaf's gentle sweetness to the island's hill soil and salty sea air. Whatever the reason, Maheshkhali paan is widely known as mishti, or sweet, paan. Rajshahi's sweet betel leaf was registered as a Geographical Indication in 2024; Maheshkhali's has not been, and local papers have repeatedly called for it. Treat any "GI Maheshkhali paan" label with caution.
How to spot the real Maheshkhali betel leaf
A good Maheshkhali leaf is thin, soft and pliable, light to medium green and glossy, with a smooth surface and fine veins. Tear and chew a small piece: it should taste fresh and mildly sweet, without the sharp, peppery burn of thicker leaves. A thick, dark, leathery leaf that bites hard is more likely another type. Fresh leaves are springy and the stalk end looks green and moist; brown cut ends, black spots, limp edges or a sour smell mean the leaves are old or starting to rot. Because Maheshkhali and other sweet paan look much alike, no label proves origin; a seller who can name the union and the market day is more convincing than one who cannot.
Buying tips
Ask how many leaves are in each bundle (on the island a bira is 80 leaves, but sellers elsewhere may count differently), whether the leaves are graded by size, and when they were picked. Soft leaves like these stay at their best for only a few days, so ask how they will be packed. Wrapping in damp cloth or banana leaf inside a ventilated box works far better than a sealed plastic bag. Ask which courier will carry the parcel and how long it takes to reach you; from Cox's Bazar to the north of the country can take long enough to matter. Start with a small order.
On Midmart each shop sets and charges its own delivery, so buying paan from one seller and supari or masala from another means two parcels and two charges. Midmart does not collect payment or arrange the courier: you agree price, payment and shipping directly with the seller. A listing that says Maheshkhali is the seller's claim, not a certificate, so ask your questions first.
Keeping it fresh
Unpack the leaves as soon as they arrive, discard any damaged ones, and wrap the rest loosely in a clean, slightly damp cloth. Keep them in a cool, shaded spot or in the vegetable box of the fridge, and check them every day, because rot spreads quickly from one leaf to the next. Do not soak them in water. Expect fresh leaves to keep for a few days to about a week.
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Shops from where it is made
No shop from Cox's Bazar is on Midmart yet.
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