No Indian meal can be complete unless there is a mukhwas (mouth freshener) of some sort. While most often it is fennel seeds, special occasions also call for a betel leaves with an array of stuffings. Down south, its called beeda, and is usually stuffed with crated coconut, fennel seeds, sugar and roasted and flavored beetle nuts (paaku). Up north, we call it the meetha paan, which contains gulkand (rose petals marignated in honey), saccharine, fennel seeds, kattha, with or without betel nut shavings and a cherry on top. It is said to aid digestion after heavy meals. Whatever they say, I like what i chew!

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