The Coconut

 

How Coconut Trees Began

 Coconut, a staple in the tropics because it provides food, water and shelter, is surrounded by a great deal of food lore. The name for this member of the palm family derived from the 16^th century Portuguese and Spanish form of coco, and means a head or skull.

One Malaysian folk store tells of a powerful wizard who lived in a cave and could change people whenever he wanted. One day a young man who had been a loafer asked how he could be useful to the people of the village.  The wizard gave him a beautiful box and told him to open it when he got home.

Curious, as most young people are, the young man opened the box. He became a coconut tree and ultimately was very useful to his village.

Here are two ways to use coconut:

Homemade Coconut Oil Recipe

Orange Coconut Salmon Recipe