Hunan does not produce areca, but Taiwan and Hainan do. But Hainan people don't eat dry ones, they eat green fruits. Hunan people eat areca from Xiangtan. Hunan does not produce areca but likes to eat it. What are the characteristics of areca in Hunan? What's the difference between Taiwan areca and Hainan areca?
The most common places to eat areca in China are three provinces, Hainan, Hunan and Taiwan. However, the customs of areca in the three provinces are different.
Hainan areca
Hainan is the main production area of betel nut in China, and winter is the harvest season of betel nut. In addition to enjoying the natural scenery of the island, visitors to Hainan also have a lot of fascinating customs and customs. "Guests to respect betel nuts" is one of them. Hainan people treat areca as a luxury, which is used to entertain valuable guests.
The most unique thing about raw areca in Hainan is its efficacy. The fruit of areca contains a variety of nutrients and beneficial substances needed by the human body, such as fat, areca oil, alkaloids and other ingredients. Areca catechu is widely concerned about its medicinal properties because it can lower qi, digest food and expel phlegm. Fresh betel nut has a wonderful effect of "hunger can make people full, full can make people hungry". Not only that, betel nut also has the effect of treating glaucoma, elevated intraocular pressure, insect repellent and other diseases.
Hunan Areca catechu
Hunan people like to eat chili and pickled products, so they also eat preserved areca nuts. Usually, after buying the dried fruit from Hainan, wash it with clean water, scald it with boiling water, spray a small amount of saccharin water or other sweetener water, and store it for about 24 hours before eating. Before eating, use a knife to cut areca into two or four pieces, and then add brine boiled with lime and caramel. Some people also like to add a drop of cinnamon oil, and put it into their mouth to chew repeatedly. It is sweet, astringent, fragrant, and the more they chew, the more delicious it will be. A good mouthful of betel nut can make people blush and produce saliva. It is the various benefits of areca that make Hunan people proudly call it China's "plant gum". Many outsiders who chew a mouthful of betel nut will, in nine cases out of ten, vomit it immediately, and will feel dyspnea, fever and dizziness. But Hunan people just like this drunkenness, just like eating chili, the hotter the more they like it. In the eyes of Hunan people, the taste of betel nut is chewed out, and the more chewed, the more delicious it is.
Areca formosana
In ancient times, betel nut was a favorite food for aborigines in Taiwan. Eating betel nut to keep out the cold has always been regarded as the exclusive use of the middle and lower working class. Because the juice of betel nut residue produced by chewing betel nut is vomited everywhere, it is considered as indecent and unclean by the middle and upper class, and is regarded as the food of the people at the bottom of society.
The biggest difference between Taiwan areca and Hainan areca is that there are no wrapped leaves, and the output of Taiwan areca is more than that of Hainan. They peeled off the peduncle and the older part of the harvested areca, first took the pepper scented laoye introduced by Changhua, then mixed the lime, applied a little to the leaves with a knife, and rolled them up. Then cut the betel nut, put the rolled laoye in the middle, and chew it with rattan, lime and betel nut. When chewing, the cheeks are rosy and the whole body is warm, like drinking a glass of wine. Therefore, betel nut eaters in Taiwan are not only young men and women, but also old people who have no teeth will grind the "three compounds" and chew them.
