BETEL NUT PALM (Areca Cathecu)
A native of India where it is referred to as
“the arrow shot from heaven”, it is also known as the areca nut palm or Pinang
tree in Malay. The Malaysian island of Penang actually derived its name from this tree.
It was referred to as early as 180 BC in a Chinese literary work as ‘pinlang’. It is a tall and slender graceful palm that can grow to a height of 30 meters. The fruit is oval in shape and enclosed in an inedible fibrous husk. The husk is easily separated from the seed in a ripe fruit. The seed is greyish brown, aromatic and has an astringent taste. It is estimated that 10 percent of the world population chew this stimulant nut. It is regarded as an aphrodisiac, a breath sweetener, a gum strengthener and a digestive. The half ripe fruit are husked, boiled, sliced, and sun dried; a small piece of the nut is mixed with a pellet of lime , spices, tobacco and gambier and is wrapped and folded in a leaf of the Piper Betel plant. This wrapped mixture, known as a "paan" is than chewed to release the stimulating alkaloids. The chewing stimulates the flow of saliva in the mouth turning it into a red colour. The chewing and spitting of the paan is an ancient habit and an addiction which still persists right to this day. Chewing of paan has medicinal effects like phlegm removal in the throat, elimination of bad breath, roundworms and tapeworms although too much of it can cause cancer, teeth blackening and premature ageing. The sweet inner shoots and young flower stems are eaten raw, stir-fried, boiled or fermented.
Do you know… the Opeh leaf that is used to line your plate of Fried Hokkien Prawn noodles is actually the leaf sheath from the Betel Nut palm.
It was referred to as early as 180 BC in a Chinese literary work as ‘pinlang’. It is a tall and slender graceful palm that can grow to a height of 30 meters. The fruit is oval in shape and enclosed in an inedible fibrous husk. The husk is easily separated from the seed in a ripe fruit. The seed is greyish brown, aromatic and has an astringent taste. It is estimated that 10 percent of the world population chew this stimulant nut. It is regarded as an aphrodisiac, a breath sweetener, a gum strengthener and a digestive. The half ripe fruit are husked, boiled, sliced, and sun dried; a small piece of the nut is mixed with a pellet of lime , spices, tobacco and gambier and is wrapped and folded in a leaf of the Piper Betel plant. This wrapped mixture, known as a "paan" is than chewed to release the stimulating alkaloids. The chewing stimulates the flow of saliva in the mouth turning it into a red colour. The chewing and spitting of the paan is an ancient habit and an addiction which still persists right to this day. Chewing of paan has medicinal effects like phlegm removal in the throat, elimination of bad breath, roundworms and tapeworms although too much of it can cause cancer, teeth blackening and premature ageing. The sweet inner shoots and young flower stems are eaten raw, stir-fried, boiled or fermented.
Do you know… the Opeh leaf that is used to line your plate of Fried Hokkien Prawn noodles is actually the leaf sheath from the Betel Nut palm.