Cutting boards or chopping boards that earlier were in every imaginable shape in plastic, are now coming in wood in as many avatars. Although plastic was once called the wonder material for its convenience, the danger of knives chipping the boards and the plastic getting mixed with food brought their popularity down over the years. “Earlier, people only used wooden cutting boards,” says Nandita Kumar, a nutritionist connected to many hospitals. “The emergence of plastic overshadowed the wood ones for the last two decades. Wood is now seeing a resurgence more so with cutting boards.”
Among the variety available, neem wood cutting boards at Grameena Angadi at T-block in Jayanagar are eye-catching and a healthy alternative to plastic. The bark of the neem tree is cut into slices to retain its natural shape. The 18-inch-long board is neatly packaged to retain its rustic appeal and as well look modern in contemporary kitchens.
Grameena Angadi has nearly 250 varieties of wooden products sourced from many states. “I source these neem cutting boards from Kolkata from Bablu Singh, an artisan who supplies several products to Shantiniketan,” says B Gangadhara Murthy of Grameena Angadi, a trustee of the Grameena Handicrafts Artisans Group. “We have several products from him all of which are made in an eco-friendly manner.”
Wood has natural antiseptic properties and neem has an additional advantage with its anti-germicidal properties, according to Murthy. “People in villages brush their teeth with neem twigs as it can get rid of oral bacteria.”
Of the process, Murthy says, the bark of the mature neem trees are cut to make boards, as only fully developed trees are resistant to moisture. For the cutting boards, the bark is soaked in water briefly and dried. The bark is not exposed to harsh sun as it would split the wood. It is soaked again and then machine-cut into slices and dried again. Then they are scrubbed by hand with natural plant scrubbers to smoothen the surface to a shine. “Bablu’s community approach to making neem products is a help to society. He has encouraged many farmers to grow neem so that there is a constant replenishing of the trees,” says Murthy.
“Neem wood is hardy, strong and has medicinal properties — even if you consume neem bits from the cutting board, it is good for health,” says Nandita.
Hard wood boards by themselves, be it tightly-grained teak, rosewood, or bamboo, with minuscule pores are best for cutting. Their hardness helps protect the surface without moisture and helps their durability, while their grains lend an aesthetic natural appeal, says Murthy. The advantage of the tropical teak board is in its natural colour. It contains tectoquinones, components of natural oily resins that repel moisture, fungi, warping, rot and microbes. “Wooden boards can also be refinished with sanding and a re-application of oil and wax,” says Bablu.
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