Areca Leaf Tableware Set

The story

Areca palms are already cultivated across the Konkan and Malabar coasts for their nuts. The leaves that fall during harvest would otherwise be burned. We collect them within a fortnight of fall, press them under heat and low pressure, and let them cure for ten days.

The result is a plate that holds hot food without softening, and returns to the soil in about eight weeks. There is no glazing, because glaze is what makes most leaf plates unusable afterwards.