Pandan leaves has long been used as natural flavoring and colorant in Indonesia and other South East Asian countries. Pandan represents one of the most significant traditional flavors. In some places in Indonesia, pandan is more popular than vanilla beans, which is viewed as being too “western” and “modern”.
Pandan is very cheap in Indonesia. It is planted in gardens and backyards. It is also available anytime of the year.
Pandan gives natural green color to the food. It can be used in cooking and baking. Traditional folks crushed pandan leaves by using mortal and pestle. The crushed leaves are then wrapped inside a piece of fabric and strongly squeezed to get the pandan juice.
Its unique, rich fragrance has made pandan very popular among Indonesian folks. It is used in many traditional and modern cooking. Some of the foods that are often enhanced with the aroma of pandan are rice, jam, simple syrup and fried chicken. Traditional housewives use pandan leaves to invoke their children’s appetite.
Pandan was said to be able to attract supernatural beings, which is why it is often included in traditional rituals in Indonesia. Some supernatural beings were believed to dwell in the bushes of pandan. Children in rural areas, in order to avoid being spirited away, are always reminded to return home quickly once they smell the aroma of pandan coming out of nowhere.
People living in the countryside and rural areas never plant pandan leaves near their chicken coops. There is a common assumption that Palm Civets – which are strongly believed by those folks to be very good in robbing the chicken houses – love to hide and sleep in pandan bushes.
Homemade Steamed Dark Chocolate Brownies with Pandan Flavored Whipped Cream.
Pandan is often included in traditional flower arranging for its nice appearance and fragrance. Many traditional handcrafted items are made of pandan leaves. These items are made for both daily usage and special ceremonies such as religious rituals, weddings and other events. Some species of pandan are grown big enough to be used as food wrapper.
Javanese ladies in the past included pandan leaves in their beauty treatments. Pandan was one of the things they favorably used to thicken and darken their beautiful long black hair. It was also often added into the mixture of lulur (traditional body scrub).
Pandan Aromatherapy is very good for people suffering from stress, panic attack and over-anxiety. In traditional Indonesian medication, pandan leaves are used to cure dandruff, odor problem, hypertension and rheumatic pain.
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