Market Custom · Betel Nut
Buai (Betel Nut)
🌿
Photo coming soon
It isn't food at all, yet piles of it outsell almost everything else at Honiara's markets — chewed with a mustard stick and lime powder for a quick, mouth-reddening buzz.
Betel nut, known as buai, is sold in small mounds at Honiara Central Market alongside a mustard pepper stick and a pinch of powdered coral lime. Chewed together, the three ingredients release a mild stimulant and turn saliva bright red.
Why it's made this way: Betel nut chewing is a centuries-old social custom across Melanesia, shared as a gesture of welcome, and its informal roadside trade remains one of the most visible parts of daily market life in Honiara.
More from Solomon Islands
Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below.
Photo credits.