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The areca nut (Supari) is the seed of a fruit classified as a berry, not a genuine nut. Dried, cured, and fresh versions are commercially available. The nut within the fresh fruit’s shell is soft enough to cut with a regular knife when the husk is green. The husk of the ripe fruit becomes yellow or orange, and the fruit within hardens to a wood-like texture as it dries. The areca nut can only be sliced with a special sharp scissors-like tool at that point. It is found in parts of India and the most famous is the Sirsi Supari.
Sirsi Karnataka
Sirsi is a moderate town in Karnataka’s ( Sirsi Karnataka )Uttara Kannada district. During the Sonda Dynasty, Sirsi was also called Kalyanapattana. Sirsi is a popular tourist location with a populace of 155,079 people (according to 2018 election results)[dubious – debate]. It is the district’s largest town, a major commercial centre, and a business hub. The place is surrounded by forests, and there are several waterfalls in the area. The majority of the city’s principal businesses are subsistence and agriculture-based. Adike (also called supari, areca nut, or betel nut) is the main crop farmed in the villages surrounding the city, giving this one of the major areca nut trading centres.
Sirsi Karnataka is located at 14.62 degrees north latitude and 74.85 degrees east latitude (Grid Square MK74). It is located in the centre of the Western Ghats, with elevations ranging from 1860 feet to 2600 feet above sea level. Bangalore is 399 kilometres (248 miles) away from Sirsi. Hubballi Airport is around 104 km (65 mi) away, while Belagavi Airport is about 190 km (120 mi) away from Sirsi. The river Aghanashini begins near Sirsi ( Sirsi Karnataka )at a location known as “Shankara honda” and runs west to the Arabian Sea. Along its route, the river also forms numerous waterfalls.
This region has a lot of arecanut trees. The arecanut cultivated in Sirsi also known as Sirsi supari is distinguished by its round and flattened coin form, unusual feel, size, cross-sectional views, and flavour, among other features. It has an average dry weight of 7.5 g and a 16 mm thickness. A GI tag has been assigned to this one-of-a-kind arecanut, known as the Sirsi supari gi tag.
Sirsi supari GI tag
The Geographic Indication (GI) tag has been awarded to ‘Sirsi Supari’ grown in Uttara Kannada for the very first time in the areca nut industry. It is grown in the taluks of Yellapur, Siddapura, and Sirsi ( Sirsi karnataka or Sirsi in Karnataka).
The GI tag awarded to Sirsi Supari is known as Sirsi Supari GI tag.
On March 4, 2019, the organisation received a certificate from the Registrar of Geographical Indications in Chennai, which is part of the Union government. It has the GI number 464.
The areca nut in question is “medium in size, slightly flat and rounded in shape, somewhat ash-coloured, and has a firm seed,” according to the description.
The areca nuts grown (Sirsi supari ) in these taluks have distinct characteristics such as a round flattened coin shape, a unique feel, size, cross-sectional views, and taste. These characteristics are not found in arecanut cultivated in other parts of the world. It has an average dry weight of 7.5 g and a 16 mm thickness.
Due to changes in chemical composition, this species has a distinct flavour. It has a total flavonoids concentration of roughly 90, whilst others have a value of around 80.
Total carbohydrates in ‘Sirsi Supari’ range from 23% to 26%, total arecoline from 0.11 to 0.13 per cent, and total tannin content from 14.5 to 17.5 per cent.
The cooperative’s General Manager, Ravish Hegde, informed The Hindu that the ability to gain the designation started in 2013. It took around six years to obtain because of the need to present scientific study proof to show its originality. He claims that ‘Sirsi Supari’ may be utilised as both a white and a red areca nut. The ‘chali’ variety is prepared by peeling ripe nuts and drying them in the sun afterwards. The red areca nut is made by harvesting tender nuts, simmering and colouring them, grading them, and then sun drying them.
Benefits and Side Effects
Benefits
Schizophrenia -. Some schizophrenia patients who chew areca nuts appear to have fewer symptoms.
Stroke- In persons who have had a stroke, ingesting a solution containing areca nut extract may enhance language, strength, and bladder function, according to a preliminary study.
Helps indigestion.
Side Effects
The consumption of 8-30 grams of areca nuts can result in death. Chewing betel nuts causes redness in the mouth, lips, and stool. It has stimulating properties that are equivalent to adrenaline and tobacco consumption. Vomiting, diarrhoea, gum difficulties, excessive drool, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeats, hypotension, breathlessness and fast breathing, cardiac arrest, coma, and death are all possible side effects.
Conclusion
The preparation of Sirsi supari or simply supari with or without betel leaf is known as paan in India (the world’s largest consumer of areca nuts) and the rest of the Indian subcontinent. It is offered in ready-to-eat packets/pouches termed pan masala or supari, which is the dried form of the Areca Nut, as a blend of several flavours whose fundamental foundation is dried areca nuts smashed into little pieces. It is used to fight off hunger pangs by poor people who may only eat every other day. Gutka is a pan masala with a little amount of tobacco.
