Cocos Nucifera

Ok. I bet no one knows what that is unless you are some sort of Science geek. Lol. It is in fact coconut actually. Hehe. Anyway, in this blog, I am attempting to share the usefulness of this plant. Trust me, in these few months, I have found that this plant is so terribly useful. Lol.

So here is how the plant looks like to those of you who has never seen a coconut tree.


Doesn't look too pretty but its usefulness is beyond words.

Firstly, it's milk! Coconut milk. Good for thickening gravy and giving it the milky ('lemak') taste. Good for curry, 'masak lemak', etc. Really yummy.


Next (and perhaps the best use??), pina colada. One of my most favourite drinks, pina colada is a mixture of coconut rum and pineapple juice. Served chilled, it is just heavenly. Haha. I made a lot of this back in Kuching btw. Lol. Auntie just loves it a lot. Haha.


And now, even if you don't drink it as an alcohol drink, it is still good. Below here is before and after the coconut fruit is peeled.


This is the coconut peeler. My dad is like a pro.


One way to serve it. So yummy and refreshing. Had this after dinner in P.D. recently and it's free! We plucked the fruits of the tree. Haha.

Or you can enjoy it naturally. Haha. Seen below are 2 photos of Matt enjoying his coconut still in it's shell and even his spoon is coconut husk. Haha.




Now the leaves. One can do so much with the leaves. The Malays would love it for their 'ketupats' and the rest..for handicrafts? And I've had the opportunity to learn how to make grasshoppers out of the leaves recently from 'Sifu' Siu Yen Pin. Here are some pictures of the grasshoppers I made.




Now among other uses of the coconut are the making of palm wine in The Philippines and coconut nectar in Maldives.

In India, its uses wary too. Mostly it is used in dishes. It is also used to make coir (coconut fibers), brooms, baskets, mats, cooking skewers and for wedding and prayer functions too.

And that pretty much covers the usage of coconut. Now just for some general knowledge..

Top 10 Producers of Coconut in the World

Country Production (tonnes)
1. Philippines 17000000
2. Indonesia 15580000
3. India 9400000
4. Brazil 2770554
5. Thailand 1705446
6. Vietnam 962000
7. Sri Lanka 954000
8. Papua New Guinea 677000
9. Malaysia 568000
10. Myanmar 370000

Neat huh?