How to eat betel nut? How to eat betel nut

How to eat betel nut? How to eat it to make it taste better? I believe many people will ask this question. Let me introduce this question to you.

[Warning] Betel nut is a Class 1 carcinogen on the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer list of carcinogens. Chewing betel nut can increase the risk of oral cancer.

How to eat betel nut

There are many ways to chew betel nuts, and people from different places chew betel nuts in different ways. The way Hainanese people chew betel nuts is similar to that of Taiwanese people. They always add something else when chewing betel nuts, which involves a lot of skills.

When Hainanese people chew betel nuts, they first cut the betel nuts into three or four pieces, which are shaped a bit like an orange, and then peel off the skin and stalk of the betel nuts (because the skin is not easy to chew, and the stalk has a bitter taste). At this time, they usually cannot put the betel nuts directly into their mouths, but must pair them with leaves of a vine plant, commonly known as "laoying leaves" in Hainan. The laoying leaves are coated with some lime and rolled into a triangle.

There are many ways to eat betel nut

Finally, put the lime-coated betel leaf and betel nut together in your mouth and chew. If you chew the betel nut directly without coating the lime-coated betel leaf, it will be tasteless. "One mouthful of betel nut, one mouthful of ash" means this. The so-called one mouthful of betel nut in Hainanese means a piece of betel nut. This way of eating can prevent tooth decay, strengthen the spleen and appetite, and relax the mind. It has the effect of curing edema and killing insects. It feels sweet, slightly drunk, and addictive, but has no side effects.

Another common way to chew betel nut is to chew dried betel nut. The so-called dried betel nut is made by boiling betel nut in water (people in some places also add sugar to the water, which makes it taste sweet when chewed) and drying it in the sun. The betel nut that is directly picked, which corresponds to the dried betel nut, is called "fresh betel nut" in Hainanese (the "fresh" here is the opposite of cooked).

"Records of Foreign Countries. Records of Things" states: Fresh betel nut is soft betel nut. Dried betel nut can be chewed directly or with betel leaves coated with lime. Both chewing methods have their own merits. Put betel nut and betel leaves coated with lime in your mouth and chew them for a few times. You will immediately feel a fever all over your body, and your entire face will become hot and red. In Hainan, Su Dongpo wrote "Red tide on the cheeks, drunken betel nut" about this feeling. The so-called "drunk betel nut" refers to people who chew betel nut for the first time or are not used to the unique taste of betel nut. After chewing for a few times, they will immediately feel a bit like being drunk, and will also be accompanied by symptoms of dizziness and numbness in the chest. This is why many outsiders dare not chew betel nut. The feeling of chewing betel nut is a bit similar to eating chili peppers. It's just that it is not as spicy as chili peppers, and it is spicy enough to hurt.

The key to eating betel nut is chewing

People who know how to chew betel nuts will feel warm all over their body after chewing them a few times. After chewing a few more times, sweat will immediately appear on their body and forehead. Even in the coldest weather, a few bites of betel nuts can make people feel that the blood flow in the whole body is accelerated and sweat will appear. This unique feeling is really wonderful.