“Betel leaves and areca nuts were offered as a first conversation starter to guests”... Thousand year-old tradition of betel chewing constitutes an important and popular cultural activity in Vietnam... The betel leaves are folded in different ways and have mostly some Calcium hydroxide daubed inside. Slices of the dry areca nut are on the upper left hand and slices of the tender areca nut on the upper right. The pouch on the lower right contains tobacco, a relatively recent introduction. Areca nuts are usually dried and broken down into smaller pieces (sometimes into a powder) and mixed with edible lime to aid in the absorption of their active ingredients, arecaine and arecoline. Rather than being chewed, the mixture is put between the cheek and tongue and left there, sometimes overnight. Betel has been the inspiration for minor art forms and there are many finely decorated lime spatulas, lime containers and other objects incorporated into the betel chewing kit. Read more >>