🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Cuisine

Buai

Betel Nut Preparation

Prep Time 5 min
Servings 1
Difficulty Easy
Calories 18 kcal

Fresh green betel nut chewed with lime powder (kambang) and mustard stick (daka). While technically a stimulant rather than a food, buai is PNG's most widespread cultural chewing preparation.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 Select a fresh, firm green betel nut.
  2. 2 Split the nut open by biting into it or cutting with a knife.
  3. 3 Chew the nut to release the fibrous flesh.
  4. 4 Dip the mustard stick (daka) into lime powder (kambang).
  5. 5 Bite the lime-coated daka while chewing the nut to activate the stimulant effect.
  6. 6 Chew slowly, spitting the bright red juice periodically.

Did You Know?

An estimated 80% of PNG's adult population chews buai regularly. It is the country's largest informal economy product, with millions of kina changing hands daily at buai markets.