Doma Like elsewhere in South Asia, chewing doma pani (བདོག་མ་པ་ནི་) is popular throughout Bhutan. Also referred to simply as doma (བདོག་མ་), the collation consists of a quarter or more of the areca nut (Areca catechu; doma), betel leaves (pani or paan) as it is known in South Asia, and a dab of slaked lime (tsuni, derived from chuna in Hindi). Scholars trace the origin of doma substances to the Indonesian archipelago. It is said to have reached the Indian sub-continent in the first half of the first millennium and gained widespread use as a snack encompassing a range of social meanings including hospitality, love, honour, commitment, and auspiciousness. It is difficult to say exactly when the practice of eating doma reached Bhutan but there are clear accounts of betel leaves and areca nuts being imported into Bhutan from India in the later part of the 18th century. ...
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