Areca nut, or betel nut, more commonly known as ‘pinang' by the locals, is the seed of the betel palm or Areca catecha , a species of palm tree which grows throughout the Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa.
Penang Island is named after ‘pinang'. The name Penang is derived from the word ‘pinang'. It is likely that Penang was known by its Malay name Pulau Pinang since it was first settled by the Malays. In 1591, the ‘Edward Bonaventure', the vessel of English adventurer Captain James Lancaster; visited Pulau Rimau, an island just south of the what he called ‘Poolo Pinang'. Manoel Godinho de Eredia's map of the Malay Peninsula in his ‘Description of Malaca' in 1613 refers to the island in Portuguese as ‘Pulo Pinam'.
The significance of the betel nut palm to Penang is not limited to just its name. The modern-day tricolour flag of Penang also features the ubiquitous tree. |
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The betel nut is a product of great cultural and symbolic significance to the Malays, being used in everything from marriage ceremonies and shamanic rituals to cosmetics.
Its most widespread use was as one of the ingredients used in ‘sireh' – a concoction that consists of shaved betel nut fragments, lime and cloves wrapped in fresh palm leaves and chewed as one would chew gum. As it is chewed, it forms an aromatic mixture which colours the lips saliva red and is reputed to produce mild narcotic effects.
Regular betel chewing causes the teeth and gums to be stained red; however, it may also reduce cavities. Powdered betel nut is a constituent in tooth powders. Other medicinal uses include the removal of tapeworms and other intestinal parasites by swallowing a few teaspoons of powdered betel nut, or by taking tablets containing the extracted alkaloids. |