Fun Facts About Coconuts

Here we’re going to look at 24 captivating facts about coconuts.

The name

The term is derived from the 16th-century Portuguese and Spanish word coco, meaning 'head' or 'skull' after the three indentations on the coconut shell that resemble facial features.

Coconut oil

One of the most products of this fruit is coconut oil, which commonly used in cooking, especially for frying. It can be used in liquid form as would other vegetable oils, or in solid form as would butter or lard.

Coconut water

Also called coconut juice, is the clear liquid inside coconuts.. It serves as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during its nuclear phase of development. Later, the endosperm matures and deposits onto the coconut rind during the cellular phase.

It is consumed throughout the humid tropics, and has been introduced into the retail market as a processed sports drink. Coconut water can be fermented to produce coconut vinegar.

Per 100-gram serving, coconut water contains 19 calories and no significant content of essential nutrients. 

Myths and legends

Some South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Ocean cultures have origin myths in which the coconut plays the main role. In the Hainuwele myth from Maluku (Indonesia), a girl emerges from the blossom of a coconut tree. In Maldivian folklore, one of the main myths of origin reflects the dependence of the Maldivians on the coconut tree.

According to urban legend, more deaths are caused by falling coconuts than by sharks annually!

Coconut grenades

Coconut grenades were a weapon used in World War 2 by the Japanese who would fill a coconuts with items such as a grenade, and then throw them at the enemy.

Multiple uses

A dried half coconut shell with husk can be used to buff floors. It is known as a bunot in the Philippines and simply a "coconut brush" in Jamaica. The fresh husk of a brown coconut may serve as a dish sponge or body sponge. A coco chocolatero was a cup used to serve small quantities of beverages (such as chocolate drinks) between the 17th and 19th centuries in countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, and Venezuela.

In Asia, coconut shells are also used as bowls and in the manufacture of various handicrafts, including buttons carved from dried shell. Coconut buttons are often used for Hawaiian aloha shirts. Tempurung, as the shell is called in the Malay language, can be used as a soup bowl and—if fixed with a handle—a ladle.

In Thailand, the coconut husk is used as a potting medium to produce healthy forest tree saplings. The process of husk extraction from the coir bypasses the retting process, using a custom-built coconut husk extractor designed by ASEAN–Canada Forest Tree Seed Centre in 1986. Fresh husks contain more tannin than old husks. Tannin produces negative effects on sapling growth. In parts of South India, the shell and husk are burned for smoke to repel mosquitoes.

Coconut Palace

In the 1970's, President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos and his wife commissioned a palace built entirely out of coconut and local materials. They invited the Pope to come stay and dedicate it, but he felt the abode was too ornate and stayed instead with the Archbishop.

The Marcos' then invited Brooke Shields, and this one gladly accepted their invitation.

Coconut Religion

The Coconut Religion is a Vietnamese religious sect centered in southern Vietnam's Bến Tre Province. Founded in 1963, adherents created a "Coconut Kingdom" on an islet of the Mekong River. The religion is largely based on Buddhist and Christian beliefs, alongside the pacifism teachings of founder Nguyễn Thành Nam.

The religion was abolished by the communist authorities after 1975. At its peak, the religion had some 4,000 followers. After the founder’s death after a clash with the authority in 1990, the cult is now still practiced by a very small minority.

Tool and shelter for animals

Not only humans can benefit from coconuts, researchers from the Melbourne Museum in Australia observed the octopus species Amphioctopus marginatus use tools, specifically coconut shells, for defense and shelter. The discovery of this behavior was observed in Bali and North Sulawesi in Indonesia between 1998 and 2008. Amphioctopus marginatus is the first invertebrate known to be able to use tools.

A coconut can be hollowed out and used as a home for a rodent or small birds. Halved, drained coconuts can also be hung up as bird feeders, and after the flesh has gone, can be filled with fat in winter to attract tits (a kind of birds, not the tits you think about).