One of the earliest firsthand accounts of betel nut chewing by western authors was from
Ibn Battuta. He describes this practice as follows: () of the
Philippines, showing an
areca palm with fruits, captioned
Bongas con que se hace el buyo de que usa todo genero de gentes mascádolo como tabaco ("Fruits from which one makes
buyo, which is used by every sort of people, who chew it like tobacco") An early European description of betel chewing is from the
Magellan Expedition to the
Philippines in 1521.
Antonio Pigafetta describes the practice of betel nut chewing among the natives of the
Rajahnate of Butuan. Betel quid chewing constitutes an important and popular cultural activity in many Asian and Oceanic countries, including
Bangladesh,
Myanmar,
Cambodia, the
Solomon Islands,
Thailand, the
Philippines,
Laos, and
Vietnam. Chewing betel was once common in
Malaysia, but the practice has long since died out. Betel nut kits (
tepak sirih) made of silver and other precious metals, once featured in royal regalia and presented as wedding gifts, have become collector's items, and a
tepak sirih set is featured on the 1989–2012 series Malaysian 20-sen coin. In urban areas, paan is generally considered a nuisance because some chewers spit the betel quid juice out in public areas. The combination of ingredients when chewed is known to make a colourful stain. This is becoming an unwanted eyesore in Indian cities such as Mumbai. This is also common in some of the Persian Gulf countries, such as the UAE and Qatar, where many Indians live. In 2008 the Dubai government banned the import and sale of betel quid and the like. According to traditional
Ayurvedic medicine, chewing betel leaf is a remedy against bad breath (
halitosis).
Cambodia, Laos and Thailand The chewing of the product is part of the
culture of Cambodia,
Laos, and
Thailand. Cultivation of areca nut palm and betel leaves is common in rural areas of these countries, being a traditional
cash crop, and the utensils used for preparation are often treasured. Now, many young people have given up the habit, especially in urban areas, but many, especially older people, still keep to the tradition.
Bangladesh In
Bangladesh,
paan is chewed throughout the country by all classes and is an important element of Bangladeshi culture. It is the Bangladeshi 'chewing gum', and usually for chewing, a few slices of the betel nut are wrapped in a betel leaf, almost always with sliced areca nuts and often with calcium hydroxide (slaked lime), and may include cinnamon, clove, cardamom, catechu (khoyer), grated coconut and other spices for extra flavouring. As it is chewed, the peppery taste is savoured, along with the warm feeling and alertness it gives, similar to drinking a fresh cup of coffee. Paan-shupari (shupari for areca nut) is a veritable Bangladeshi archetypal imagery, employed in wide-ranging contexts. Prior to British rule, it was chewed without tobacco, and it is still rarely chewed with tobacco. Betel leaves are arranged aesthetically on a decorated plate called
paandani. During the
zamindari age, paan preparation and the style of garnishing it on a plate (paandani) was indeed a recognised folk art. In Bangladesh paan is traditionally chewed not only as a habit but also as an item of rituals, etiquette and manners. On formal occasions offering paan symbolized the time for departure. In festivals and dinners, in pujas and punyas paan is an indispensable item. Hindus make use of paans as offerings in worship. Dhakai Khilipan, a ready pack of betel leaf processed in Dhaka is famous in the sub-continent. Old Dhakaites have a rich heritage of creating the best khili paan with many complexes, colourful, aromatic and flavorful ingredients. Although 'paan' has been a staple Bengali custom for ages, a number of high-end stores with premium quality paan has become available in recent times. Paan Supari is perhaps the first such brand, which offers a wide range of khili paan. They also offer a khili paan for diabetic patients called the "paan afsana". It has become a ritual, tradition and culture of Bangladeshi society. Adult women gather with paandani along with friends and relatives in leisure time. Total cultivated area under the crop in Bangladesh is about 14,175 ha and the total annual production is about 72,500 tons. The average yield per acre is 2.27 tons. There are usually three crops during the twelve months, and they are locally called by the name of the respective months in which they are harvested. Paan leaf is usually plucked in
Kartik (October),
Phalgun (February) and
Ashad (June). The
Kartik paan is considered by consumers to be the best and
Ashad paan the worst. When plucking, it is a rule to leave at least sixteen leaves on the vine. Betel leaf used is produced in different parts of India. Some states that produce betel leaf for paan include West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh. In
West Bengal, two types of betel leaves are produced. These are
Bangla patta (Bengali leaf/Country Leaf) and
Mitha patta (Sweet Leaf). In West Bengal,
Bangla patta is produced mainly in district of Dinajpur, Malda, Jalpaiguri, and Nadia.
Mitha patta is produced in places such as Midnapur and South 24 Parganas. The skilled paan maker is known as a
paanwala in North India. In other parts,
paanwalas are also known as
panwaris or
panwadis. In the Indian state of Maharashtra, the paan culture is widely criticised due to the cleanliness problems created by people who spit in public places. In Mumbai, there have been attempts to paint pictures of Hindu gods in places where people commonly tend to spit, in the hope that this would discourage spitting, but success has been limited and there is need a solution at root to avoid peek. One of the great Marathi artists
P L Deshpande wrote a comic story on the subject of
paanwala (paan vendor) and performed a televised reading session on
Doordarshan during the 1980s in his unique style. Paan is losing its appeal to farmers because of falling demand. Consumers prefer chewing tobacco formulations such as
gutka over paan. Higher costs,
water scarcity and unpredictable weather have made betel gardens less lucrative. According to StraitsResearch, The India pan masala market is expected to reach US$10,365 million by 2026 at the CAGR of 10.4% during the forecast period 2019–2026. The India pan masala market is driven by significant switching of consumers from tobacco products to pan masala, aggressive advertising and convenient packaging, and Maharashtra State's revocation of the ban over pan masala products.
Assam In
Assam, India, betel nut is traditionally offered as a mark of respect and auspicious beginnings.
Paan-tamul (betel leaves and raw areca nut) may be offered to guests after tea or meals, served in a brass plate with stands called
bota. The areca nut also appears as a fertility symbol in religious and marriage ceremonies. When showing respect to elders or asking for forgiveness, people, especially newlyweds place a pair of
paan-tamul on a
xorai, place it in front of the elders and bow to show respect. Guests may be invited to a wedding reception by offering a few areca nuts with betel leaves. During
Bihu, the
husori players are offered areca nuts and betel leaves by each household while their blessings are solicited.
Paan-tamul is also offered to guests after the end of every feast, usually the
paan-tamul-soon, or slaked lime with cardamom pods in it to freshen the breath.
Banarasi Paan Banarasi paan of
Banaras (Varanasi) is widely famous among Indians and tourists visiting India.
Indonesia and Malaysia Bersirih,
nyirih, or
menginang is a historical
Malayonesian tradition of chewing materials such as
nut,
betel,
gambier, tobacco,
clove, and
limestone. In the
Malay Archipelago, the
menginang or betel nut chewing has become a revered activity in local tradition; being a ceremoniously conducted gesture to honour guests. A complete and elaborate set of
sirih pinang equipment is called
tepak,
puan,
pekinangan, or
cerana. The set is usually made of wooden lacquerware, brass or silverwares; and it consists of the
combol (containers),
bekas sirih (leaf container),
kacip (press-knife to cut areca nut),
gobek (small pestle and mortar), and
ketur (spit container). Areca palms have been grown traditionally in
Guam,
Palau, and
Yap since ancient times. It spread to
Chuuk in modern times. Betel nut stains have been found in ancient remains of the Chamorro people, indicating that the practice was carried into Micronesia by their Austronesian ancestors in Island Southeast Asia. Betel chewing has very long tradition in Burma, having been practised since before the beginning of recorded history. Until the 1960s, both men and women loved it and every household used to have a special
lacquerware box for betel quid, called
kun-it (), which would be offered to any visitor together with
cheroots to smoke and
green tea to drink. The leaves are kept inside the bottom of the box, which looks like a small hat box, but with a top tray for small tins, silver in well-to-do homes, of various other ingredients such as the betel nuts,
slaked lime,
cutch,
anise seed and a nut cutter. Other parts of the country contribute to the best betel quid according to another saying "
Tada-U for the leaves, Ngamyagyi for the tobacco, Taungoo for the nuts,
Sagaing for the slaked lime,
Pyay for the cutch".
Kun, hsay, lahpet (betel quid, tobacco and pickled tea) are deemed essential items to offer monks and elders particularly in the old days. Young maidens traditionally carry ornamental betel boxes on a stand called
kundaung and gilded flowers (
pandaung) in a
shinbyu (novitiation) procession. Burmese history also mentions an ancient custom of a condemned enemy asking for "a betel quid and a drink of water" before being executed. An anecdotal government survey indicated that 40% of men and 20% of women in Myanmar chew betel. An aggregate study of cancer registries (2002 to 2007) at the
Yangon and
Mandalay General Hospitals, the largest hospitals in the country, found that
oral cancer was the 6th most common cancer among males, and 10th among females. Of these oral carcinoma patients, 36% were regular betel quid chewers. Effective 29 July 2007, betel chewing, along with smoking, has been banned from the
Shwedagon Pagoda, the country's most important religious site. In 2010, the
Ministry of Education's Department of Basic Education and Burma's Anti-Narcotics Task Force collaborated to prohibit betel shops from operating within of any school.
Nepal Paan is chewed mainly by
Terai people, although migrants in Terai have also taken up chewing paan in recent times. Throughout Terai, paan is as common as anywhere in northern India. There is some local production, generally not commercial, but most leaves are imported from India. Although not as ubiquitous as in the Terai, most residents of Kathmandu occasionally enjoy paan. A sweet version of paan called
meetha paan is popular amongst many who do not like the strong taste of plain (
sada) paan. Some parents allow their children to consume meetha on special occasions because it is tobacco-free.
Pakistan The consumption of
paan has long been a very popular cultural tradition in
Pakistan, especially in the port city of Karachi, although the tradition is dying among the younger generation. In general, though,
paan is an occasional delicacy thoroughly enjoyed by many, and almost exclusively bought from street vendors instead of any preparations at home. Pakistan grows a large variety of betel leaf, specifically in the coastal areas of
Sindh, although
paan is also imported in large quantities from
Bangladesh and
Sri Lanka. In the famous
Anarkali Bazar in
Lahore a street called
paan gali is dedicated for
paan and other Pakistani products. The rate of
oral cancer has grown substantially in Pakistan due to chewing of
paan.
Philippines Betel nut chewing was formerly widespread among the
ethnic groups of the Philippines. The country is where the areca palm (
Areca catechu) is originally native to and where the tradition started before being spread via the
Austronesian expansion (see
history section). The Philippines also has the highest genetic diversity in
Areca catechu populations and is home to several closely related
Areca palm species, In modern times, it has gone out of favor and has been replaced by cigarettes and
chewing gum. The practice only survives among more remote ethnic groups like the
Cordillerans of
Luzon, and the
Lumad and
Moro people of
Mindanao. In the native languages of the Philippines, betel nut chewing is known variously as
buyo,
bunga,
hitso, or
ngangà in
Tagalog,
Bikol, and the
Visayan languages;
dapiau in
Ivatan; and
bua,
mama or
maman in
Ilocano;
luyos in
Kapampangan;
pasa in
Basilan; and
lugos in
Zamboanga; among other names.
Vietnam In Vietnam, the areca nut and the betel leaf are such important symbols of love and marriage that in Vietnamese the phrase "matters of betel and areca" (
chuyện trầu cau) were historically synonymous with marriage. Areca nut chewing starts the talk between the groom's parents and the bride's parents about the young couple's marriage. Therefore, the leaves and juices are used ceremonially in Vietnamese weddings. ==Health effects==