Coconuts

Appearance: Coconut fruits are large and nearly round. The husk is hard, medium brown, and has a rough, hairy surface. Three round depressions are found on one end of the fruit.

Origin: Its name was recorded in Sanskrit in early history. The coconut became known to the western world in the 6th century. It was imported into Egypt from the Indian Ocean. Marco Polo recognized the coconut as the «Pharoah’s nut» as he traveled through India.
Where the name come from? Spanish and Portuguese explorers were taken by the three little eyes at the base of the coconut’s inner shell that reminded them of a goblin or grinning face, and named them coco, the word for goblin. Some have translated the word coco to mean monkey face.

Published in 1755, Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language spelled the fruit cocoanut. Many people thought Johnson had confused the nuts with the cacao beans, later called cocoa, when chocolate was introduced into England. Eventually, the «a» was left out. Sometimes it was spelled with a hyphen--coco-nut.

History: The English name coconut, first mentioned in English print in 1555, comes from the Spanish and Portuguese word coco, which means «monkey face». Spanish and Portuguese explorers found a resemblance to a monkey’s face in the three round indented markings or «eyes» found at the base of the coconut.

On the Nicobar Islands of the Indian Ocean, whole coconuts were used as currency for the purchase of goods until the early part of the twentieth century.

Nutrition Fact: Coconuts are rich in lauric acid, which is known for being antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal, and boosts the immune system.