Something as simple as a chewing nut is as synonymous as Burmese culture in itself. Can you believe it? But this isn’t some peanut or almond. This is betel nut. And to be more specific, betel nut chewing. If you go to the villages, you can easily win new friends just by offering some betel nuts to your guests. It’s a big deal over there.

Locally, betel nut chewing is called kun-ya. It is actually a South Asian tradition that has carried over to Myanmar hundreds of years ago. It is quite customary for a household to have a lacquer ware box holding not only betel nuts but also arcadia nuts, betel leaves and slaked lime paste; all essential ingredients for a nice kun-ya.

If more flavor to kun-ya is preferred, then the lacquer ware box will hold more ingredients. Many enhance the taste of their betel nuts with ingredients such as cardamom, aniseed, cloves and sweetened grated coconut. It is totally up to the chewer how much of each is added to the kun-ya.

Interestingly, kun-ya plays a central role in courtship. Families of young daughter would sit by and observe when a man approaches their daughter. After a brief chat, if the lady seems interested in the man, she would then offer kun-ya to him. Ladies, perhaps you would like some to take home with you and offer it to the man of your dreams someday?

Kun-ya results in some red and messy results. You can easily distinguish who is a kun-ya chewer and who isn’t, just by observing a person’s mouth and teeth. And the spitting of the betel nuts? Just imagine. After seeing it on the mouth, how would it look on the street or on walls? Dirty, red and hard to clean spots are the results and because of this, the practice of kun-ya chewing has been somewhat frowned upon. Nonetheless, betel chewing is still an important aspect in many Burmese’s lives. It is still common to see people selling it to car drivers stuck in traffic or small street stalls selling kun-ya and its associated ingredients to customers here and there.

New to Myanmar? Not to worry. So are thousands of people. The country is relatively new to many, even to avid travelers. If you need a guide on what to do and where to go in Burma, just check out our Myanmar tours page. Hurry though! The country is fast becoming one of the world’s most popular destinations.

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