Cookaholics Bulletin Board

a.k.a. Piper Sermentosum?

I got a batch of these for the first time last week, from importfoods.com; since it was one of those Asian ingredients I had not yet had access to (except in very poor condition in local Asian markets) I had to try to get some, and it came in fairly good condition, considering the heat we had. I took the larger leaves and used them to make some Mieng Kam over the weekend, and stuck the best 7 cuttings in my cloner, to try to root them. The leaves on some perked up very well in less than 48 hours, and in 4 days a few hints of roots appeared on a few cuttings. I have quite a few recipes calling for them, usually as a wrap-around, or at the very end, raw, as a garnish. Any suggestions in using them or growing them would be appreciated.

Dave,

No idea. I'm surprised they're legal; I though betel nut was banned in this country.

Fuzzy,

I'm not sure if the other betel leaves, from Piper betle (where the name came from), are illegal, but the betel nut, or areca nut, might well be, as it is considered carcinogenic. But then, so is tobacco, which is also chewed with it, and is legal here! And the betel nut is not related to betel leaves, it is just called this due to the fact that the two are chewed together in their native countries.

Dave,

Oh. I thought they were from the same plant.

I was curious, here's some info I found on growing Wild Betel leaves.

Cultivation

The betel leaf is cultivated in most of South and Southeast Asia. Since it is a creeper, it needs a compatible tree or a long pole for support. Betel requires high land and especially fertile soil. Waterlogged, saline and alkali soils are unsuitable for its cultivation.

In Bangladesh, farmers called barui[1] prepare a garden called a barouj in which to grow betel. The barouj is fenced with bamboo sticks and coconut leaves. The soil is plowed into furrows of 10 to 15 metres' length, 75 centimetres in width and 75 centimetres' depth. Oil cakes, manure, and leaves are thoroughly incorporated with the topsoil of the furrows and wood ash. The creeper cuttings are planted after proper dressing in the months of May and June, at the beginning of the monsoon season. The plants are neatly arranged in parallel rows about two feet apart, and the saplings are twined around upright sticks of split bamboo and reeds.

Proper shade and irrigation are essential for the successful cultivation of this crop. The plants are regularly watered in the hot months. The leaves of the plant become ready for plucking after one year of growth and the production of the barouj lasts for several years from the date of planting.[1] Betel needs constantly moist soil, but there should not be excessive moisture. Irrigation is frequent and light, and standing water should not remain for more than half an hour.

Dried leaves and wood ash are applied to the furrows at fortnightly intervals and cow dung slurry is sprinkled. Application of different kinds of leaves at monthly intervals is believed advantageous for the growth of the betel.

Betel leaf and Areca nut consumption in the world.
In 3 to 6 months the vines reach 150 to 180 centimeters in height and they will branch. Harvest begins, with the farmer plucking the leaf and its petiole with his right thumb. The harvest lasts 15 days to one month.

The harvested leaves are used both for domestic consumption and for export to other parts of Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. Betel is an important part of the economy in rural Bangladesh.

Varieties include 'Magadhi' from Bihar in India, and 'Venmony Vettila' from Kerala.

Laurie

Laurie,

This looks like what I found on regular betel in wikipedia, and a couple of other places. Yet nothing about the wild betel - a totally different species. It is not as much of a cash crop, so not as much info on it, I guess.

I got 6 out of 7 of my cuttings to root! There were some little white specks on the stems of most of them yesterday, which looked like spider mites, but it turns out they were little droplets of sap, or something like that, so that was a relief.

Here is the best clone, with some new growth, and those little droplets showing in the flash:


And here is the rooting on that clone:


I am going to try one in my hydroponics, and the rest I will plant in soil pots. I'll keep you updated.