''Boti'', ''dao'', ''da'', ''aruvamanai'', ''chulesi'', ''pavshi'', ''vili'', ''morli'' or ''pirdai'' is a cutting instrument, most prevalent in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

, Maharashtra,

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

and the

Bengal region Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the ea ...

, the

Barak Valley The Barak Valley is located in the southern region of the Indian state of Assam. The region is named after the Barak river. The Barak valley consists of three administrative districts of Assam - namely Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi. The ...

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

. It is a long curved blade that cuts on a platform held down by the foot. Both hands are used to hold whatever is being cut and move it against the blade. The sharper side faces the user. The method gives excellent control over the cutting process and can be used to cut anything from tiny shrimp to large pumpkins.

Variations and names

A larger version of the instrument, with a bigger blade, is used for gutting and cutting fish. Another version of the instrument comprises the ''Nariyal Khuruchni'' (coconut grater) in the form of a flat round top with sharp small shark-like teeth all around it to serrate coconut. ''Dao'' or ''daa'' (one of many variants called in Bangladesh, specifically Chittagong and Sylhet) is a variation of boti, which is handheld. The cutting instrument is not unique to Bengal. It is also used in regions throughout Indian subcontinent. It is known by different names in different languages. The names in various Indian languages or region are: *

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

: ''Arivalmanai'' or ''Aruvamanai'' * Telugu: ''Kathipeeta'' * Konkani: ''Addili'' * Marathi: ''Vili'' or ''Morli'' * Odia: ''Panikhi'' * Bihar: ''Pirdai'' It is known as ''Chulesi'' in Nepal () and used to chop vegetables mainly in the rural areas of Nepal.

Purpose

It is designed for the cooks to sit comfortably on the floor and cut vegetables and meat with one leg folded on the wooden base and the other leg stretched. The coconut scraper is in all states mentioned above who produce and use more coconuts in the cuisine.

References

{{Reflist *

Variations and names

Purpose

See also

References