Betelnut

If you visit PNG you will come across a lot of people with red mouths and red or black teeth. The reason behind it is Betelnut which is the nut in the picture while the stick fruit is Mustard.

From what I know betelnut chewing used to be only for the Chiefs and done during special feasts or occasions but times have changed and now everyone does it. If some else knows anything pls feel free to add a comment and I will add it in.

So how is it done? Well you need Lime as well, the chewer skins the betelnut then dips the Mustard into the lime (as seen in the picture below) then chews all three things together, the result is a red mouth.

In case your wondering, the lime is made out of Coral or Kina shell, baked on an open fire at a high temperature until it breaks down into a powdery form.

The effects? Well you feel like your drunk and it makes me feel breathless and dizzy, a lot of my friends say it keep wakes them up.

Betelnut selling is quite big in and around PNG, it helps a lot of people put food on the table. But like all good things it has its bad points, Some people swallow the juice but most spit it out. And not everyone spits it out in the right place.

I thought I add this photo to show you what your teeth look like after chewing, I wanted to get a better photo the avid chewers I know refused to allow me to take a shot of their teeth. If not brushed off daily a black coat develops on their teeth but most chewers don't care, after chewing it, I understand why!