昨日のMTRで食後に出てきた清涼剤。
"Paan"と呼ばれるもので、中にナッツ状のものが入ったものなんだけど、食べるとハッカ系というか、歯磨き粉系というか…。で、今日の昼にカフェテリアで食事した後、こっちの同僚がくれたキャンディがこれ。
この中央の飴、やっぱり"Pa(a)n Mint"。ポピュラーなもんなんだろうと思ってちょっと調べたら、Paanというかそれに包まれているAreca Nutの項：
The areca nut (/ˈærᵻkə/ or /əˈriːkə/) is the seed of the areca palm (Areca catechu), which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. It is commonly referred to as betel nut, as it is often chewed wrapped in betel leaves (paan). The term areca originated from a South Asian word[1] during the 16th century, when Dutch and Portuguese sailors took the nut to Europe. The habit has many harmful effects on health. The International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded after reviewing the published medical research that chewing areca nut is carcinogenic to humans.[2][3] Various compounds present in the nut, most importantly arecoline (the primary psychoactive ingredient), contribute to histologic changes in the oral mucosa. As with chewing tobacco, its use is discouraged by preventive efforts, such as awareness of the risks of chewing buai.
発ガン性、とあるよブルブル。しかもこのPaanって"betel nut"だったのか！
15年の歳月を経て初めて実物体験。
