What is Fire Paan, the World’s Most Dangerous Street Food (But It Isn’t Because of The Fire)

Fire paan is an Indian roll that periodically goes viral on social media: it first gained popularity in 2019 and is now back in fashion thanks to TikTok and Instagram. It is a flambé roll prepared with a leaf from an Indian palm, the betel, a mixture of spices and berries: these are set on fire and then "balled up" in the roll that is pushed into the mouth by the seller with the flame still lit. It is probably the most dangerous street food in the world but not because of the fire.

How is Fire Paan Made?

This bizarre dish is both very new and ancient. Officially, fire paan was born about 10 years ago at Galaxy Paan, a small shop in Rajkot, India, after 45 days of research to perfect the recipe (at least according to legend). This story has struck so much Western public opinion in the past years that even the History Channel made a special on fire paan, going directly to this store and making it very famous. Today, Galaxy Paan is a franchise and can be found in many areas of Gujarat, the state where Rajkot is located. However, it is very easy to come across carts offering this street food in every corner of India.

We have said however that it is also ancient: in reality the custom of taking a betel leaf, some berries and eating them is very old and is part of the Ayurvedic tradition. It is an alternative medicine born in India about 2500 years ago that takes inspiration from the sacred texts of the subcontinent. The part regarding medicine is contained in the Atharva Veda, hence the name of this unconventional science. According to tradition this mix of ingredients would be able to alleviate pain and improve the physical performance of men. This is not the case, in fact, this mix is ​​very dangerous. The real novelty of recent years is precisely the fire that has transformed a simple vegetable roll into a tourist attraction.

Fire paan is made of dry fruits, sugar and spices in a betel leaf that is then folded into a triangular shape. Among the spices are cloves, soaked in alcohol and placed only on one side of the leaf. The seller lights the fire at the last moment and then pushes the product into the customer's mouth with the flame lit. But what does it taste like? Customers seem very satisfied and say, surprisingly, that the fire paan is fresh and gives an initial thrill.

The videos shock people who watch them and it has become known as the "world's most dangerous street food". This is probably true but not in the way we tend to think. You have to be careful because fire can cause accidents but there are no known cases of fire paan burning customers. This street food is extremely dangerous because chewing betel leaves can cause infections and cancer. Vendors who add areca nut (the fruit of the betel) to the berries of fire naan do double damage because this fruit is also carcinogenic to humans. Various compounds present in the nut, especially arecoline (similar to nicotine), contribute to histological changes in the oral mucosa.