Catechu (/ˈkætɪʃuː/ or /ˈkætɪtʃuː/)[1] is an extract of acacia trees used variously as a food additive, astringent, tannin, and dye. It is extracted from several species of Acacia, but especially Senegalia catechu (previously called Acacia catechu), by boiling the wood in water and evaporating the resulting brew.[2] It is also known as cutch, black cutch, cachou, cashoo, terra Japonica, or Japan earth, and also katha in Hindi, kaat in Marathi, khaira in Odia, khoyer in Assamese and Bengali, and kachu in Malay (hence the Latinized[3] catechu chosen as the Linnaean taxonomy name of the species of Acacia plant which provides the extract).
- ^ "catechu". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ Cutch and catechu plant origin Archived 2019-02-10 at the Wayback Machine from the Food and Agriculture Department of the United Nations. Document repository accessed November 5, 2011
- ^ Derivation of word from Malay