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The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the palm tree family and the only living species of the genus Cocos. [1] The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") [2] can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which botanically is a drupe, not a nut.
Macapuno also called coconut sport, is a naturally occurring coconut cultivar which has an abnormal development of the endosperm. The result of this abnormal development is a soft translucent jelly-like flesh that fills almost the entire central cavity of coconut seeds, with little to no coconut water .
Coconut is the partially edible seed of the fruit of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera). [37] Coir is a coarse, water-resistant fiber extracted from the outer shell of coconuts, used in doormats, brushes, mattresses, and ropes. [38] Some indigenous groups living in palm-rich areas use palms to make many of their necessary items and food.
The coconut is also a drupe, but the mesocarp is fibrous or dry (termed a husk [1]), so this type of fruit is classified as a simple dry, fibrous drupe. Unlike other drupes, the coconut seed is so large that it is unlikely to be dispersed by being swallowed by fauna, but it can float extremely long distances—across oceans.
Evidence also indicates that, long before the flavor of the cacao seed (or bean) became popular, the sweet pulp of the chocolate fruit, used in making a fermented (5.34% alcohol) beverage, first drew attention to the plant in the Americas. [18] The cocoa bean was a common currency throughout Mesoamerica before the Spanish conquest.
Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring in other foods. The cacao tree has been used as a source of food for at least 5,300 years, starting with the Mayo-Chinchipe culture in what is present-day Ecuador.
The history of chocolate dates back more than 5,000 years, when the cacao tree was first domesticated in present-day southeast Ecuador. Soon after domestication, the tree was introduced to Mesoamerica , where cacao drinks gained significance as an elite beverage among different cultures including the Maya and the Aztecs .
The mature fruit is 40–50 cm in diameter and weighs 15–30 kg, and contains the largest seed in the plant kingdom. [13] The fruit, which requires 6–7 years to mature and a further two years to germinate, is sometimes also referred to as the sea coconut, love nut, double coconut, coco fesse, or Seychelles nut. [14]