Tiffin carrier facts for kids
Tiffin carriers or dabbas are special lunch boxes used a lot in places like Asia and the Caribbean. People use them to carry "tiffin" meals, which are often light lunches or snacks.
These carriers started in India and then became popular in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. They are also used in Hungary to bring restaurant food home. A Hungarian tiffin carrier usually holds soup, a main dish, and a piece of cake. In Germany, there's a similar container called a Henkelmann. It's usually round or oval, a bit like military mess kits. The Henkelmann was very common until the 1960s, but people in Germany don't use it much anymore.
In the Indian city of Mumbai, there's a very clever system. Workers called dabbawalas deliver hot lunches in dabbas to office workers. These meals come from the workers' homes or from a caterer. It's a super efficient way to get fresh, hot food to people at work!
What They Are Called Around the World
Tiffin carriers have different names depending on where you are:
- In Indonesian, they are called rantang.
- In Malay, they are known as mangkuk tingkat, which means 'leveled bowls'.
- In Thai, they are called Pin To (Thai: ปิ่นโต).
- In Cambodia, they are known as Chan Srak (Khmer: ចានស្រាក់).
- In Hokkien, they are called Uánn-tsân (Chinese: 碗層).
- In Arab countries, they are called safartas (سفرطاس). This name comes from the Turkish words "sefer tası," meaning 'travel bowls'.
- The Hungarian word for a tiffin box is éthordó, which means 'food carrier'.
How They Are Made
Most tiffin carriers have two or three layers, but some fancy ones can have four. The bottom layer is sometimes bigger than the others. This is often where people put rice.
To open a tiffin carrier, you just unclip a small lock on each side of the handle. Tiffin carriers are usually made from strong materials like steel or aluminium. Some older or European versions were also made from enamel or plastic.
Images for kids
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Two dabbawalas in Mumbai delivering meals packed in tiffin carriers
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Thai tiffin box in Bangladesh.
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Tiffin carrier, Burmese Lacquerware
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Malaysia, Peranakan tiffin carrier
