Buuch

Ingredients

The chew

• 1areca nut, split
• 1betel pepper leaf
• slaked lime powder, from burnt coral
• a shred of tobacco, commonly added

Presentation

• a small woven basket or pouch
• offered to visitors on arrival

Directions

1. Buuch is the betel and areca chew of Palau.
2. It is not a food and it is not swallowed.
3. It is chewed and the red juice is spat out.
4. This entry records a custom rather than a recipe.
5. Chewing is close to universal among adults in Palau.
6. It is offered to a visitor as a form of greeting.
7. Red spit stains pavements and doorways across the islands.
8. Palau adds tobacco to the chew more often than most places.
9. That addition raises the health risk considerably.
10. A serious health warning must come first.
11. Areca nut is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen.
12. That classification comes from the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
13. Group 1 means there is sufficient evidence it causes cancer in humans.
14. Chewing it causes cancers of the mouth, throat and oesophagus.
15. It also causes oral submucous fibrosis, which stiffens the mouth.
16. That condition is progressive and cannot be reversed.
17. The risk is present without any tobacco at all.
18. Adding tobacco raises the risk substantially further.
19. Palau has recorded high rates of oral cancer.
20. Public health campaigns there address the practice directly.
21. None of this is disputed in the medical literature.
22. This atlas does not recommend chewing it.
23. It is recorded here because it is culturally central.
24. Understanding the components is the useful knowledge.
25. The areca nut is the seed of the areca palm.
26. It is often called betel nut, which is misleading.
27. The nut and the leaf come from two different plants.
28. The betel leaf comes from a climbing pepper vine.
29. Its botanical name is Piper betle.
30. The lime is calcium hydroxide, slaked lime.
31. In Palau it is made by burning coral and slaking it.
32. That lime releases the alkaloids from the nut.
33. Without it the chew has very little effect.
34. Preparing the chew is done by hand.
35. A green areca nut is split open with a knife.
36. Palau generally uses fresh green nuts.
37. Many other places use dried nuts instead.
38. A betel pepper leaf is taken and dusted with lime.
39. Only a small amount of lime is used.
40. Too much lime burns the inside of the mouth.
41. A shred of cigarette tobacco is commonly added.
42. The leaf is wrapped around the nut into a parcel.
43. Chewing it produces the characteristic red juice.
44. The parcel is chewed slowly and not swallowed.
45. The mixture turns bright red within moments.
46. That red comes from a reaction between the components.
47. The juice is spat out repeatedly as you chew.
48. Long-term chewing stains the teeth red or black.
49. The stimulant effect is mild and comes on quickly.
50. Arecoline is the main active alkaloid in the nut.
51. Understanding the social role is the important part.
52. Buuch is offered when someone arrives at a house.
53. It is shared between people as an everyday courtesy.
54. A small basket or pouch is carried for it.
55. It appears at gatherings and at formal occasions.
56. Refusing an offer is possible but slightly awkward.
57. A polite refusal from a visitor is understood.
58. Explaining that you do not chew is generally accepted.
59. The offering itself is the meaningful part.
60. A note on where else it is found is worth adding.
61. The same chew is used across the Pacific and Asia.
62. Papua New Guinea, Guam and the Marianas all use it.
63. Timor-Leste calls its version bua malus.
64. It is chewed in India, Myanmar and Taiwan.
65. Hundreds of millions of people chew it worldwide.
66. Public health campaigns run against it in many countries.
67. Those campaigns exist precisely because of the cancer risk.

Technique

• Areca nut is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a Group 1 carcinogen, causing cancers of the mouth and throat and oral submucous fibrosis, with or without added tobacco.
• Palau adds tobacco to the chew more commonly than many other places, and has recorded high rates of oral cancer.
• The nut comes from the areca palm and the leaf from a climbing pepper vine, so the common name betel nut conflates two different plants.

Substitutions

• There is no substitute, and this entry is a record of a custom rather than a recipe to follow.
• Visitors who do not wish to chew can politely decline, which is generally understood.

Variations

• Palau generally uses fresh green nuts where many other places use dried ones.
• Timor-Leste’s bua malus is the same practice under a different name.
• The chew is used across the Pacific islands and much of South and Southeast Asia.

History

Chewing is near-universal in Palau, where the nut is offered as a greeting and its red spit stains pavements and doorways.

Frequently asked questions

What is Buuch?

Buuch is a snack from Palau: betel nut split and chewed with lime, pepper leaf and often a shred of tobacco. Chewing is near-universal in Palau, where the nut is offered as a greeting and its red spit stains pavements and doorways.

How long does Buuch take to make?

Buuch takes 5 minutes of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes not a recipe. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Buuch?

Yes, within limits. There is no substitute, and this entry is a record of a custom rather than a recipe to follow. Visitors who do not wish to chew can politely decline, which is generally understood.