Nasvai

Throughout Central Asian and Afghanistan you might notice some men chewing and copiously spitting, or talking as if their mouth is full of saliva. Nasvai (also known as nasvar, naswar or noz) is basically finely crushed tobacco, sometimes cut with spices, juniper or lime. As a greenish sludge or as little pellets, it’s stuffed under the tongue or inside the cheek, from where the active ingredients leach into the bloodstream, revving up the user’s heart rate. Amateurs who fail to clamp it tightly in place, thus allowing the effluent to leak into the throat, might be consumed with nausea.