PINANG - Part Two
(Beetlenut)

The first time I wrote a blog about Beetlenut I hadn't actually tried it myself... I had just been fascinated by the brilliant red mouths smiling at me around Raja Ampat, and by the trails of bright red sputum lining the sidewalks of Sorong.

This time, I am writing from a new perspective! I have tried chewing pinang several times now, and although I can't say I actually like the sensation, it's certainly unique.

Pinang, or beetlenut, might be the Papuan equivalent to chewing tobacco, but natural and untreated. Betelnut is actually the fruit of a type of palm tree (betel palm); a reddish-brown 'nut' encased in a green husk. Papuans rip off the outer husk with their teeth to get to the inner-goodness... then pop the middle part into the mouth (with a little bit of the fibrous husk as well) and chew. The initial effect is instantaneous, the salivary glands are immediately stimulated, and you spurt saliva. But wait, it's not over yet... in fact, it's only just begun! The beetelnut itself doesn't create that lusty red colour!



The next step is to take a small stick of 'siri' (I have no idea what this is called in English... it's a small 'fruit' that grows on vines, and adds its very distinctive smell to the experience), dip it in lime (calcium oxide), and position it in the middle of the mass that the betelnut has now become... continue chewing the pulp until red (for me, both my face AND my mouth)! Only when all three of these ingredients are present in the correct proportions can you achieve that perfect colour/texture combination which inevitably turns the mouth and teeth bright orange!



This is a common practise throughout Papua, from the young (I've seen kids as young as 5 years old chewing the stuff!) to the very old! There isn't anything much funnier than the men of a village here looking like they're wearing lipstick!

Pinang is sold in all the markets here, usually already packaged with siri and lime.

I've read that betelnut is a mildly euphoric stimulant (due to the presence of alkaloids)... and folks here say it's habit-forming. Although the majority of times I've tried it, I've felt nothing of this natural high except my face got red, the most recent time, I actually got quite dizzy, although only briefly. (Friends said it was because that particular pinang was 'wild' as opposed to being 'cultivated'!)

Pinang is also said to have the added bonus of strengthening teeth... 'Nature's toothbrush' (most people here don't actually use a toothbrush and paste). It's true that most people who chew pinang still have all their teeth, and there is a very low incidence of dental problems (of course, no one goes to the dentist to actually check!)... These bonuses, though, are somewhat outweighed by the fact that chewing betelnut has recently been linked to oral cancers. AND... every elder I see chewing it has a mouthful of awfully stained teeth and gums that look like they belong on a monster in a horror movie!