Chewing Betel

Entry by Blair Rynearson

February 2017

Before coming to Sri Lanka I knew betel only by description.  Friends that had traveled in Southeast Asia told of a nut that was chewed by locals that produced the same effect as smoking cigarettes or chewing tobacco.  They said users spit a red juice that looked like blood, and many streets and sidewalks were splattered and stained.  Naturally, I wanted to try it. 

Sri Lanka afforded that opportunity. Within the first week of arriving at the research station, one of our neighbors offered up “bita”.  It was a mixture of a hard, pinkish chunk (very difficult to chew), a large and spicy leaf, a white paste resembling plaster, and a small piece of air cured tobacco.  I did not enjoy the texture, or the flavor, or my mouth immediately filling with watery saliva. But the effect was quite agreeable – I was alert, full of energy, and ready to do something. 

“Bita” – a piece of areca nut, bulat leaf, calcium carbonate & tobacco

In Pitakele, most men, and a number of the older women, spend the better part of their waking hours chewing bita.  A small plastic bag full of bulat leaves (Piper betle), puwak (Areca catechu), tobacco and calcium carbonate, is carried at all times.  This ensures that chews are continually refreshed throughout the day.  In addition to its stimulant properties, bita serves as an appetite suppressant and helps stave off thirst.  This allows users to forgo lunch and dedicate themselves entirely to the labor at hand.

In traditional preparation of bita, the areca nut (which is in fact a palm fruit and not a nut) is the most active ingredient.  It contains three alkaloids - arecoline, arecaidine and guvacine - all of which posses vasoconstrictive properties.  The betel leaf, or “bulat”, is largely added for its spicy flavor, but also contains eugenol, an additional vasoconstrictor.  The calcium carbonate, typically derived from ground sea shells or coral, heightens the effect of the stimulants.  Spices are occasionally used to add flavor to the mixture and might include: turmeric, cumin, melon and cucumber seed, tamarind juice, coriander, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and grated copra.  Sun dried tobacco leaves have become a normal addition to bita.

Adding nicotine has both increased the stimulative properties and addictive effects.  Bita mixture that includes tobacco and calcium carbonate has been proven to cause dental caries, oral sepsis, dyspepsia, palpitations, neurosis and oral cancer.  And the red juice produced by the chemical reaction with the calcium carbonate often dyes a user’s lips red, and gives the teeth a reddish to black appearance (this is the only reason that I choose not to make bita an everyday habit).

In Sri Lanka, betel leaf, or “bulat” is among the most culturally significant plants.  It was customary upon receiving a guest at your home to present them with a “bulat heppuwa”, a brass tray filled with ingredients used in bita preparation.  Before a meal guests were offered a glass of water to wash out their mouths, and after the meal a replenished tray of bulat was presented.  Virtually every home had both a “padikkama”, a spittoon, and specialized areca nut cutters.  Formal greetings often involved the presentation of a sheath of bulat leaves called a “bulat atha”.   Athas are presented by patients to traditional doctors as a form of payment, by children to their teachers on the first day of school, and by devotees to chief Buddhist monks during temple visits.  Bulat continues to play a central ceremonial role in weddings, funerals and many holidays.

“Padikkama”, or a spittoon

Bulat heppawa

The bulat plant is an evergreen, perennial climber typically cultivated on poles or trellises.  There are at least twelve varieties of bulat leaves native to Sri Lanka.  It can be grown up to 1000 meters in elevation on all soil types, but typically grows best on well drained soils, at lower elevations, in the wet to intermediate zones of the country.  Though it is most productive in full sunlight, bulat produces higher quality leaves when grown under shady conditions.

Many homes in the Pitakele are adorned with wooden structures that are thickly covered in an intertwined mass of bulat leaves.  Another common planting site is the base of trees and palms, the trunks providing a live post to support the climbing bulat.  Bulat leaves are sold in two categories: large leaves for two rupees (just over a cent), and small leaves for one rupee (less than one cent).  They are cut, carried to the house, graded by class, and taken to a nearby town to be sold.

Someratane planting bulat near the field station

A local woman harvests bulat leaves from a trellis

Areca, or “puwak” as it is called in Sri Lanka, is among the most ubiquitous and abundant species in Pitakele tree gardens.  It grows best in full sunlight, but is proficient in establishing and growing under the shade of the canopy.  As a result, many homegardens with minimal management tend to develop dense stands of puwak. It is often found planted along property lines as a living demarcation of lots.

puwaks – notice the fruit below the canopy on right palm

The fruits are consumed locally or sold, and the timber is highly durable and used in construction, fencing and garden stakes.  On sunny days, most Pitakele residents spread piles of puwak over rice bags and wicker trays for drying.  The nuts are generally harvested from fallen fruits on the ground, or cut from the palm.  To prevent molding, they are laid in the sun and stored in a breathable sack. Following the initial phase of drying the outer husk is removed.  Dried and husked areca nut is sold for five hundred rupees per kilo (about $1.50/lb). 

A dense stand of puwak palms

Puwak fruits collected from the ground

top pictured puwak fruits are husked, while bottom are not

Although it is unlikely that many of the academics or students that spend time at the research station will frequently indulge in bita, we chose to include both puwak and bulat into the design of the homegarden.  If a goal of the project is creating a homegarden that embodies local traditions, these plants are indispensable.  During our many visits to Sinharaja gardens, we asked local residents about the most important species to plant at the research station – in almost every response, bulat made the short list.  And I know that our cook/housekeeper and neighbors will ensure that they are well tended and do not go to waste!!