Coconuts

Guide Note

A coconut is the fruit of the coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, a tall tree of wide tropical distribution. The nut has two protective layers: a grayish and fibrous external husk, and a hard, hairy brown shell. Underneath the shell is the kernel, in the form of a layer of coconut meat, and a thinly milky liquid called coconut water. Despite its reputation, the coconut is not the world's largest seed, with that distinction falling to a rare palm of a different genus, the Lodoicea maldivica or 'double coconut.'

Fast Facts

1. Is the nut of the coconut palm
2. Is not a fruit
3. Contains coconut water, which is drunk
4. Coconut milk is made by mixing the grated coconut meat with water
5. Coconut oil is a commonly used by-product

The word 'coconut' apparently comes from the Portuguese word 'coquo,' meaning 'monkey face,' after the three germination holes on its hairy brown shell -- which somewhat resemble the eyes and mouth of a monkey. Because the coconut floats, and is easily dispersed by the ocean, the tree's origin is difficult to pin down, with some scholars claiming that coconuts are native to Southeast Asia, while others place them in the New World.

More certain, however, is the extreme utility of the coconut as a staple food source, and its ubiquity among tropical cuisines. Coconut meat is eaten both ripe and unripe in Oceania, and Asia, and suitably warm parts of the Americas, and coconut milk -- a preparation of pressed coconut meat -- is a foundational ingredient in cuisines such as Thai. In more temperate climates, coconut usually appears as dried, shredded meat, and is usually used in candy, such as Mounds bars, and in desserts such as coconut cream pie.