petioles are removed, and if the leaf is large, it is split 
into two parts. The cleaned leaves are placed on the 
palm of the left hand, one above the other with the dor- 
sal surface upward; a dash of lime is applied to it by 
means of a quill, and one or two dashes of kath, then 
some pieces of sliced raw nuts are placed in the center; 
a few seeds of cardamom are added, then the edges of 
the leaves are folded over and a clove is stuck in to hold 
the edges in place. It thus becomes a sort of inflated, 
slightly irregular-looking square. The beedas are kept 
arranged in trays with wet clothes to prevent drying off. 
They are astringent and often bitter depending on the 
amount of kath used. On account of the raw nuts and 
the kath, if this pan is taken for the first time by one 
unaccustomed to it, one may experience the choking 
effect and all the other undesirable features attributed to 
pan by writers. High grade beedas are often covered 
with silver or gold leaf. 
Southern India. In southern India, tender leaves are 
selected for beeda, and each beeda contains at least two 
leaves. The apex and petiole and to some extent the 
mid-rib are removed, and a thin layer of one or two 
spots of lime is applied to the dorsal surface. A spoonful 
of nut mixture (consisting of cured half nuts broken into 
small pieces and mixed with grated copra, grated nut- 
meg, pieces of mace, crystals of sugar, cardamom seeds 
and saffron) is then added to the leaves which are rolled 
into a cone; the edges of the cone are pushed in and 
stuck with a clove. These cone-like rolls are placed in 
wire loops which are so arranged as to look like a green 
flower bouquet; or are placed in plates arranged in a 
pyramidal shape. These beedas are sweetish, aromatic 
and tasty. Anyone can eat them whether or not for the 
first time or by one unaccustomed to pan. There is no 
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