WHEN you bite into an Aussie lamington, or eat an Indonesian or Asian dish, do you stop to think about the grated coconut in the recipe: where it comes from and what it is?
You may have seen photos of tropical areas, and perhaps been to visit some of them where the most “romantic” beaches will be covered in coconut palm trees, often with a number of ripe or unripe coconuts hanging close to the trunk and below the fronds.
These plants thrive on sandy soils and have a great tolerance of salinity. They also need high humidity and warm conditions.
You might see people sunbathing under the shade of these trees – a good idea you might say, but actually not so because the fruit can drop at any time and badly hurt the person they hit.
The origin of the coconut (Cocos nucifera) is lost in the mists of time but the two main theories say it either came from the South Pacific or the South American region. It is the national tree of the Maldives but has now spread to many countries.
The advantage of this fruit is that it floats easily and could be effortlessly transported in a canoe from one place to another as people migrated.
The uses and the “keeping” quality of the fruit are such that it was one of the foods (along with seeds, live pigs, chickens and so on) that helped sustain folk until they reached their future home.
A new tree is propagated when the fruit falls to the ground, the seed germinates and spreads its fibrous root system into the surrounding soil. This is why you will often see several trees growing in close proximity to one another.
Coconuts can be used in many other ways too: for fuel, coconut milk and oil. The shell is used for bowls, buttons and even musical instruments. They are also used to make the Foley sound effect of a walking horse, clip-clopping along, using two half shells. And as gardeners, we use the fibre in potting mixes and as mulch.
If you enjoy the taste, then use more of this terrific fruit.
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