Unique dishes made from leaves

Many visitors enjoy inhaling the aroma of leaf cups and plates - Photo: NHAT XUAN

At the Green Growth Products and Services Exhibition 2024 (GRECO 2024) taking place on Nguyen Hue Street (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), many visitors had to stop when passing by the booth displaying bowls and plates made from lotus leaves, banana leaves, and almond leaves... from young people from Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry.

Beautiful, fragrant, environmentally friendly

The cups and plates made of leaves not only impress with their sturdiness, thickness, and variety of designs and styles, but also with their logos printed on them, they look extremely professional. What’s even more interesting is that these products still retain the natural, pungent aroma of dried leaves.

The leaf bowls not only hold water without leaking but also decompose quickly after use, and can even be composted as fertilizer for plants after use - Photo: NHAT XUAN

Sharing about this idea, Associate Professor Dr. Le Hung Anh - Director of the Institute of Science, Technology and Environmental Management (Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry) - said that the idea of ​​making cups and plates from leaves started 5-6 years ago. At that time, the research team had success with products from areca spathe, which were then successfully commercialized and even exported.

However, products made from areca spathe face many limitations in supply. From there, the idea of ​​using more abundant raw materials such as banana leaves, lotus leaves, and almond leaves was born...

According to Mr. Hung Anh, after being collected, the leaves are cleaned and pressed under high pressure and temperature. This process helps shape the cups and plates, making them more waterproof, mold-proof, antibacterial and durable, comparable to disposable plastic products.

Not only developing the quality of dishes made from leaves, Mr. Hung Anh said that the group also developed many different printing molds, meeting the diverse needs of the market in terms of size and design, and can even print logos on the products to promote the brand for the business.

Want to replace disposable bowls and plates?

The director of the Institute of Science, Technology and Environmental Management shared that the long-term goal of the research team is to bring leaf-based dishes to replace disposable plastic dishes. The team hopes that the product can be widely used at major events, restaurants, tourist areas, and food festivals.

For example, in Con Dao, Mr. Hung Anh said that there are a lot of almond leaves falling here. Instead of letting them become waste, local people can collect almond leaves to produce dishes to supply to hotels and resorts.

"The process of making dishes from leaves is extremely simple and easy, anyone can do it, suitable for small family businesses, and can be done right in the local area. This not only helps develop the local economy but also promotes the trend of using environmentally friendly products," said Mr. Hung Anh.

In addition, according to Mr. Hung Anh, resorts and homestays can use plates and bowls made from leaves to impress international tourists. Customers can feel the novelty of the plates and bowls, and at the same time clearly see the company's commitment to environmental protection.

Not only does it have advantages over disposable cups and plates. Compared to traditional products such as ceramic cups and plates, Mr. Hung Anh analyzed that cups and plates made from leaves have environmental advantages.

Accordingly, the production process of ceramic dishes often creates _CO2 emissions due to the exploitation of raw materials from soil and firing at high temperatures. During use, ceramic dishes also require expensive water to wash, especially in restaurants that use dishwashers, not to mention labor costs.

In addition, ceramic dishes are difficult to decompose after use. In contrast, dishes made from leaves can completely decompose in nature after a short time of use, and can even turn used products into organic fertilizer, contributing to improving the soil environment.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/doc-dao-chen-dia-lam-tu-la-cay-20240924184921736.htm