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By Christine Manfield

Published 1999

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Betel nuts, which grow in clusters at the top of tall, slender areca palms that are native to Malaysia, are harvested either when they are green and tender or when they ripen and become orange. Both types are sun-dried and then husked before use. In India the tender nuts are mixed with spices and sugar to aid digestion and act as a mouth freshener. Cracked, ripe betel nuts can be used in marinades to tenderise meat as they help break down sinew and muscle tissue in tougher cuts. Chewed in quantities for its stimulating powers, the ripe betel nut is also known to produce a mild state of euphoria and for its aphrodisiac properties. It is used in some Chinese medicinal preparations because of this, and as an antidote to malaria and for expelling intestinal worms. Green betel leaves, eaten raw and used as a wrapping for food in India and Thailand particularly, are not from the same palm as the nut, but from a plant closely related to pepper. Available: Indian and Asian food stores.

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