Chewing betel nut in the Thai countryside
Anyone who has ever been to the Thai countryside (Isaan) or to the hill tribes (Hilltribes) will have seen it. Women and also men who chew on a reddish stuff.
It looks quite nasty. Especially since it affects the teeth and these have either rotted away or are almost black. This red substance that the Thai chew on is betel nut (Thai: plue).
Betel nut, seed of a palm
Betel nut is the seed of the betel palm (Areca catechu). This palm. which can reach 15 to 20 meters in height. are common in Asia. The small variant is sold at garden centers in the west. The betel nut is actually a drupe (seed) and not a nut. Just like a coconut. The betel nut is about the size of a chicken egg and red in color.
Stimulating effect
The nut is very popular in Southeast Asia. It is chewed to produce a certain effect. The betel nut gives a slightly euphoric feeling. In addition to the stimulating effect, the feeling of hunger counteracts. Betel nut contains the substance arecaline, which is known for promoting mood. The substance stimulates the functioning of the central nervous system. Chewing betel ultimately provides relaxation and a pleasant feeling in the mouth that travels through the temples to the brain.
Use of betel nut
It is used by farmers and farm workers to soften the heavy physical work. In Thailand chewing the betel nut is widely used as stimuli, such as coffee, alcohol and cigarettes with us. In addition, it is a social activity that takes place in groups while being together. The herb is also used by Buddhists during rituals and ceremonies.
Processing of Betel nut
Betel has a very bitter taste. It is therefore always combined with other herbs or spices such as chewing tobacco, cloves, cardamom or kava kava. The stuff is also mixed with quicklime. The lime enhances the stimulating and euphoric effect because it converts the substance areciline into the active substance arecaidine. The whole is wrapped in the leaf of the Betel pepper bush (another plant that contains an essential oil).
Alain Lauga / Shutterstock.com
Red colour
The user puts the packet in his/her mouth and chews it. By mixing with saliva it becomes a red substance. This stains the teeth and mouth dark red. The juices that are produced should not be swallowed. The users of betel nut regularly spit the tasteless remains on the ground. This causes dirty red spots.
Not without danger
After some time, betel nut can become addictive. Overdose is also possible, resulting in nausea, diarrhea, increased heart rate and irritation of the mucous membranes. With prolonged use, it affects your teeth and gums. In addition, there is a good chance of cancerous growths in the mouth.
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I always understood that Plue was the leaf and Mak the nut. They must have misunderstood me again. Or it is another corruption of which there are so many.
By the way, it doesn't look (rather dirty) when you look at someone chewing it. I still shudder when I see something like that. The first time I even thought that the woman had just been punched in the mouth by her husband.
It is mainly the older generation that still eats this. I've actually never seen one of the younger generation eating Mak.
Brrr… it also smells awful. Just smell that smell coming out of your mouth.
I encountered this ritual daily during my trip through Bangladesh, in the countryside and in the city, women mainly chew this stuff as if it were their delight, I didn't know what I saw, it's not a face, now I know what it is!
Make or หมาก is pronounced with a flat, low tone and a long aa. Make มาก in the sense of “a lot” has a falling tone. I also can't help the fact that Thai is a tonal language.
It is not correct that only farmers and agricultural workers used it. It was also very popular in the higher circles. King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) used it a lot and, before his visits to Europe, had his teeth cleaned because he knew that red-black teeth were not popular there. In Thailand, girls were highly valued for their red-black teeth.
Maak was used in many ceremonies, often with an elaborate ritual and with a beautiful, silver and precious set, for those who could afford it. It was polite, if not necessary, to offer it to your guests, or your husband when he came home from work exhausted.
Plaeg Phibunsongkraam, prime minister after the Second World War, once tried to ban the use because it was considered uncivilized (Civilized was what the Europeans did then).
'…The whole is wrapped in the leaf of the Betel pepper bush (another plant, which contains an essential oil).'
That leaf is from a climbing plant, called พลู in Thai, ploe:, with a long -oe- and a middle tone.
My ex-girlfriend's grandmother somewhere around Udon Thani used to grind leaves half the day. She first pounded it in a small mortar that you also see in the kitchen. Could those leaves be from the same tree?
Chaliow is quite right that it was also common in the better milieus.
In this 9 minute film from 1919 a report about a visit to the High Society of Siam.
All guests literally crawl in, out of respect the head should not be higher than the head of the hostess, if I have been properly informed.
Even before the tea is served, they are already eating the betel.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J5dQdujL59Q
Nice video!
I've looked into it some more. That 'chewing betel' consists of different ingredients, as you can see in the video. Basic is the leaf of the climbing plant 'betel vine', which also has a stimulating effect. Pieces of the 'betel nut' (actually Areca nut) and various other things such as slaked lime, peppers and sometimes tobacco are then folded into it.
หมาก so make is the betel nut, better Areca nut, grows on a palm, they are next to my house.
พลู phloe: is the leaf of the betel vine creeper, I think what is called 'plue' in the article, so that is not the 'betel nut'.
You can't swallow the liquid after chewing, hence all that spit. My grandfather chewed tobacco and kept spittoons in his house.
Spit troughs indeed everywhere, called tail wagging.
Sometimes they carry a plastic bag with them, which they spit into.
hello, In Yangon former capital of Burma; Myanmar, the footpaths are stained dark red from the spit. Also tried a few times but was not tasty and had little effect. Felt a little lighter than usual in my head. When a pretty lady smiles at you with a half and black prayer, the pretty immediately disappears. Myanmar is going back in time.
Sincerely, Johan
I didn't know, but we have such a tree, with a hundred nuts, in the garden. My wife saw the image on the computer as I passed by and drew my attention to it. Funny…
In the Isan some old women asked if those were my real teeth.
When I answered in the affirmative, the red, black, toothless mouths fell open in surprise.
Indispensable! You grow up with it. Everything stated above is correct. In India/Pakistan the name is: “pan” / pronounced “paan”. There are a lot of paanstels in circulation. From centuries old to modern. Sometimes it is a silver box (pandan) in which you offer one or two paans. Those wrapped pans are then also decorated with silver leaf. In every big city you can find super 'pan-wallahs', who make very tasty sirih plums. Ask the rickshaw driver. He uses it all the time. The very best pans are expensive. It contains other, heavier addictive substances. So watch out.
I've used the regular one from time to time. After a heavy meal, it's nice if you're used to it. The hardest part is that it's a big clot in your mouth.
There was always a spittoon on the landings of stairs in government buildings and many red spots around it…..
Speaking of the side effects. In the family, three fanatically chew this stuff. Grandmother got cancer from it 3 years ago. First a piece of lip removed, the hospital forgets to say that radiation is now necessary for a good follow-up. Then last year the first growths in the mouth and throat. Opening made in the throat. The throat is now slowly being squeezed by the growing growths and liquid nutrition is only possible through an opening in the throat after tracheatomy. The person is now 92 years old, according to Thai customs, is watched day and night and nursed by the family. very caring and loving. Actually a degrading life now, but who am I? What strikes me is that the other chewing family members are apparently so addicted that this sight does not lead to attempts to stop. So folklore but with a very dark edge.