Lime for betel nuts or other mastication available now!

[sobriquet]

get yourself a fresh nut and chew this with some lime. or maybe just start on a half nut.

Yes I think I must try the real thing so to speak.

When do the palms produce fruit? I'd guess around December / January based on other palms around here but I could be wrong.

I'd be keen to get some fresh nuts for both planting and chewing when the time is right.

Cheers.

[Torsten]

Rusty's market in cairns during summer....

[Infinitee]

I have been wondering how to get food-grade lime additive so that I could try enhancing the nutrition of my corn and maize grains. (see Wiki article below)

Torsten, do you know if the lime paste you sell would be appropriate to use in cooking (with sufficient rinsing after use) ?

If so, would either the red or white lime paste be superior over the other?

Thanks.

Nixtamalization typically refers to a process for the preparation of maize (corn) in which the grain is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater, and hulled. Maize subjected to the nixtamalization process has several benefits over unprocessed grain for food preparation: it is more easily ground; its nutritional value is increased; flavor and aroma are improved; and mycotoxins are reduced. These benefits make nixtamalization a crucial preliminary step for futher processing of maize and the process is employed in the production of tortillas, tamales, corn chips, and many other items.

These conditions convert corn's bound niacin to free niacin, making it available for absorption into the body. Alkalinity also reduces the amount of the protein zein available to the body, which, though this reduces the overall amount of protein, improves the balance among essential amino acids.

Secondary benefits can arise from the grain's absorption of minerals from the alkali used or from the vessels used in preparation. These effects can increase calcium (by 750%, with 85% available for absorption), iron, copper and zinc.

[Torsten]

the red paste has a bit of an odd flavour so probably not the best to use for cooking [unless the flavours compliment each other]. The white would certainly be suitable for this.

[Infinitee]

Thanks, that's great.

The Webstore seems to indicate that only red paste is available, do you know when white will be purchasable again?

[Torsten]

I've only got white powdered lime and am a bit hesitant to put this on the site as it can be quite painful if used carelessly. You could place an order for the red paste and put "substitute with white lime powder" into the comment box.

[Infinitee]

Ta, I'll happily order both. Props for the awesome service too

[Conan Troutman]

a good whack of the red paste will also leaves your mucous membranes reeling for daze

[friendly]

Ooohhh. Mastication. I thought you said masturbation. Sorry.

Edited April 9, 2008 by friendly

[Torsten]

OUCH!

[friendly]

Yeah; Lime would be kind of painful, wouldn't it? Don't know what I was thinking.

[tuamai]

Sampled some betel nut while in Nha Trang, Vietnam back in the early 90's.

An old lady an open air market gave some quick lessons on wrapping the

pieces of nut in betel leaf, adding a touch of lime paste, rolling it up in a quid

and placing betweenxt my cheek and gum. Went back to my hotel on the

beach and sampled a quid on the lanai with a young Vietnamese girl I came with.

She didn't want any though, saying only old ladys chew betel nut. After a few

minutes of chewing, remembered getting a strong coffee like buzz. Liked it.

Spit globs of red spit in empty beer can, while this Vietnamese girl was laughing

and saying how my mouth was red like an old lady's! Went into the bathroom and

yep my mouth sure was red. Red lips, red tongue, and red teethe! Tried washing

it off with a toothe brush and toothe paste-no way and my Vietnamese girl was having

laughing fits. My mouthe was red for three days after! To this day In Southeast Asia,

I've only seen old women usually with no husbands eat betel nut.They all have dark

red almost black lips and teethe. If you guys know of a betel nut that doesn't turn

your teethe red for days, let me know.

[AndyAmine.]

When I was living in India (hydrabad) it seemed like almost everyone was chewing 'pan' (beetle nut quids) although it was mostly people of a lower socio-economic class and kind of looked down upon.

In every almost every corner of stairways and buildings there was spittoons filled with red spit along with about a square meter of the walls and floor around them (YUCK!) and on the ground outside of anywhere that people gather the ground would be muddy wiht it.

There was lots of people selling it with little trays strapped around their necks and an assortment of fillings and cigarettes etc, chewing tobacco seemed quite popular as a added filling in the area I lived.

I hear that in some of the markets, particularly in years passed they also sold heroin as "brown sugar" in a segment of their trays.

In the end I wound up getting into the prefab'd pan packets called 'Pan Masala' or 'gutkha' which are crushed bits of beetle nut with tobacco and flavorings, which is kind of like the equivalent of tailor made cigarettes I guess and are just as addictive. I liked the 'Pan Masala" variety. apparently you can just let them absorb sublingualy or around your gums but I usualy chewed it.

I often saw kids of a very young age using the sweet variety.

Edited April 13, 2008 by AndyAmine.

[PhoenixSon]

Sweet pan, is the best, the indians have got this down,

they add cardamon, fennel, aniseed, honey, spearmint, changes from person to person. They also add tobacco, but i didn't try might have some synergy.

In PNG they just use the nut and have a mustard pod which they dip in the lime and chew, nasty gear.

I quite like betel, i even saw monks chewing it in the afternoons.

FOund it was good for digestion when i ate too many deep fried curry suprises.

.

[PhoenixSon]

the betel nut i had turned my mouth red but a brush usually took most of it out,

[AndyAmine.]

Yeah Sweet Pan was often provided as a desert or digestive after a meal.

[kadakuda]

are you guys saying you are chewing with piper flowers??? i haven't even see a plant flower personally so am curious. everyone here uses the leaves.

[AndyAmine.]

no, beatle nut + other ingredients wrapped in a fresh beatle leaf.

[toast]

I have recently bought my first lot betel nuts.

I'll a little unsure how to use them, as I don't have any betel leaves.

Would wrapping a nut or two & some lime paste in a few fresh khat leaves be a good start?

thanks

[TheFriendlyPlanter]

How are you supposed to chew the dried nuts when they are rock hard? Are you meant to grind them first? What would be the best way to grind them anyway? I used the blender but it wouldn't grind fine enough and the pieces (although much smaller) were still rock hard and unchewable. any advice for dried nuts?

[coin]

a special device is used to shave them & it can also be soaked in water i believe, or use mortar & pestle

surprised you didn't wreck your blender

http://www.le-betel.com/recettes/en_recettes.htm

interesting site

Edited May 25, 2008 by coin

[mauve]

i discovered betel in India (pan with tabacco) and used to make some myself here in France since it is possible to buy fresh leaves and nuts...but i definitively gave up. In my personal experience this drug is too heavy on the body for what it offers, i liked the stimulation and aphrodisiac effects but it can't be healthy. (listen to your mouth !)

I do realy miss the taste of Betel leaves though. But even just quidding the leaves burns the inside of the mouth

[coin]

the correct amount of lime should be used and in india (and perhaps elsewhere?) they also use one of two different products made from the heartwood of the betel nut tree (known as 'katha' or 'cutch' I believe the product made from the white heartwood is preferred but I have only seen the dark product in local Indian stores). this solid material is strongly astringent/tannic and is said to counteract the harshness of the lime. alone it is used for periodontal disorders, diarrhea, dysentery, etc. the block is commonly scraped and the extract is made into a paste by soaking in water, rose water or kewra water (hydrodistillate of male flowers of Pandanus odoratissimus). traditionally then paan/tambula will not have tobacco. poppy seeds are also a common additive

traditonal preparation: Tambula / Trayodashaguni ("13 Qualities/Ingredients")

2 betel leaf (Maghai variety preferred), 1 tsp cut pieces of betel nut, pinch of white catechu, 1 clove, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 2 strands saffron, 1 tsp fresh grated coconut, pinch of edible camphor, 1/2 piece nutmeg arrilus (mace), 1 cardamom, pinch of musk, 1 almond, 2 cubebs, lime (chuna)

Wash leaves and lay on top of one another and apply chuna. Add all ingredients (except clove) and fold leaves into triangular shape. Secure with clove.

There's an art to chewing/sucking it so you don't expose your mouth to too much of the lime all at once (takes around 15-30 mins to finish). Sometimes the lime is soaked in milk/yogurt

Said to be good for digestion (especially after heavy meals), refreshing the mind & breath, nervous tissue, reproductive tissue, good for singers as it tones the voice.

There are all sorts of Sanskrit passages about the who/how/when/custom/social etiquette of taking Tambula. Its properties, according to Ayurveda are also given (ie it should mostly be used by 'Kapha' type people). It is noted that excessive use leads to addiction, anemia and problems with gums/oral cavity, amongst other things

Edited May 25, 2008 by coin

[~shameless~]

This product is sold at a well known market in melbs south east- Dandenong city

A friends workmate gets into about 2-3 packs a day way back he reckons he used to get into the

'Export quality' mix that had the Bettle nut replaced with Catha and also one with both, the catha and bettle nut!!!

i dont understand this, i thought it was actually khat.

Red eyes seem to go with the red coloring of the spittle,

It has a real musky, spicy taste, let it soak in for a little bit then spit it all out,

Then spend the next hour or so grinding on the little chunks stuck in your teeth, thats cool apparently as you are grinding a bit from the kick anyway!!!

Edited June 28, 2008 by GREEN HOUSE AKA spice1

[coin]

the catha is what i mentioned in the previous post