Inhabitants of large parts of Southeast Asia chewed the mild stimulant sirih, a custom that was also adopted by some Westerners. A sirih chewing quid consisted of a mixture of areca nuts, tobacco, slaked lime and flavourings such as cloves, rolled up in a betel leaf. This instrument was used to cut the areca nuts (often mistakenly called betel nuts). Offering sirih quid was crucial to polite social intercourse. Beautifully fashioned containers and cutters were part of this custom.