Appalachian Word of the Week - BACCER

Our word this week is one I don't know first-hand, only as an observer. It's BACCER. At least that's how it was pronounced. The actual word is TOBACCO.

BACCER refers to anything made from the tobacco leaves. Most people only know about the ones that produce smoke -- cigarettes, cigars, and pipes.

I remember most people referred to cigarettes as "Cancer Sticks." Everyone seemed to know they caused health problems, but they smoked them anyway. I always avoided getting close enough to anyone who smoked. It clogged my sinuses and, well, stank.

There are several ways to store BACCER

There are other ways to utilize BACCER that don't require lighting it and making it smoke. I'm grateful about the "no smoke" part, but I'm not so keen on the other aspects of using BACCER.

If you're a chawer (chewer) of BACCER, you break off a chunk of a block of BACCER, cut off a wad of a plug of BACCER, or pinch a little out of your pouch or tin of BACCER and stick it into your mouth between your gum and cheek.

This method of chawin' BACCER has its health concerns, too. I've seen photos of men who have chawed so much BACCER that ulcers or cancer have eaten through their gums and cheeks. Even if it's not that bad, you have to deal with the staining the BACCER leaves on your teeth. I hope you are happy I didn't post any photos of these negatives of chawin' BACCER.

Loose BACCER

Another side to chawin' BACCER is the dark brown juice it creates inside your mouth. You surely don't want to swallow that stuff. So, what do you do with the BACCER juice? You spit it. This is why spittoons used to be so popular in the wild west.

Since carrying around a spittoon is a bit cumbersome, most people either spit outside or carry around an old coffee can to spit their BACCER juices into. Talk about disgusting!




For your information, since most of the mountain folks I know didn't see much of how BACCER grows, I thought I'd show you a few photos of the plants, the harvesting, and the drying.

Harvesting the BACCER plants

The BACCER stalks after they've been stripped

Hanging BACCER in the barn to dry

Dried BACCER ready to go to market

I had never seen a BACCER plant until I went to college in central Kentucky. As a music major, I learned that marching bands shrank in size during the fall harvest of BACCER. All the kids who lived on a BACCER farm had to stay home from school and other activities until the last row of BACCER was gathered and taken to the barn to hang and dry.

BACCER has always disgusted me. It has a lot going against it. I especially don't like the health effects of a life of using BACCER. But, just like a lot of unhealthy things, it isn't my choice. I just hope our youth think twice or more before they allow BACCER to get a hold on them, just like any drug that tries to control them. Not only is it unhealthy, but it costs a lot of money better used for other things.

So, for you who know, did I get this right? Or are there things I missed? Tell me your stories.

Here are some Tweetables if you want to share:

Appalachian Word of the Week -- BACCER (Click here to tweet)

Ever known anyone who chaws BACCER? (Click here to tweet)