Da Coconut Nut
The coconut nut is a giant nut
If you eat too much, you get very fat
Now, the coconut nut is a big, big nut
But its delicious nut is not a nutIt’s the coco fruit (it’s the coco fruit)
Of the coco tree (of the coco tree)
From the coco palm family
So goes the song “Da Coconut Nut”, composed by Ryan Cayabyab for the group Smokey Mountain. It’s a hilarious song with a lot of truth in it.
The coconut is really quite a useful plant. Watch for a series of posts I’ll be doing about the coconut and its various uses. For starters, enjoy the song:
Tags: coconut, Philippine plants
8 Comments
yes, there are lots of uses for the coconut. infact when i was in the seminary in tagaytay and quezon, the abundance of coconut in the area is really overpowering. when i was in pinas last month, i bought coconut virgin oil that was said to be medicinal. i did not use it because if it was really virgin oil, i cannot understand it became solid oil inside the bottle (“Sebo”). this thing does not happen with virgin olive oil. so for now, the three bottles of this coconut virgin oil is still in my pantry.
Mel – that’s normal for coconut to do that, especially if it’s cold. it’s a different kind of oil/fat content in it that olive oil. just warm it in warm water and it should be good to use
i wrote about the extra virgin coco oil once, here
http://www.filipinasoul.com/extra-virgin-coconut-oil/
have you tasted it yet?
“Coconut makunat” ika ng mga bata sa atin. Coconut is in some way a staple in our daily necessities in the Phils. Coconut oil was highly recommended when I was young for hair care among pinays and the long haired pinoy hippies then. Medicinal in many ways, when mixed with herbs can be applied during massage theraphy for sprains and other body aches and pains. I can’t mention the other therapeutic use of coconut oil on your blog space…coz it may be offensive to some! The best thirst quencher when you’re out on a hot day at the beach in pinas..coconut water or juice!
Mala-uhog coconut meat is best mixed in “halo-halo!” And of course all the ginataan recipe of Quezon and the Bicol region.
Coconut is so versatile that I think it is the only tree species in the plant kingdom where no part is wasted; everything, as in from the roots to the tip of the leaf, is used for varied purposes. Walis tingting, panggatong, to name a few.
And oh, how I love buko salad…yummy! Now, this makes me want to go home
One very good idea that came from Imelda Marcos’s Pag-ibig housing project back when the Marcos rule was in place in the Philippines was the use of the coconut tree wood for materials in putting up the Pag-ibig housing in the rural seafront areas. The coconut tree wood house survived the harsh environment and stood up against the seasonal typhoonsthat came and went without any problems. I think the coconut wood material was named “Madera Imelda” for some obvious reasons I believe.
May I add one more coconut trivia:
Remember the “Bunot”, the most common polisher for wooden floors way back before the electric floor polishers invaded the homes in the Philippines? The half dried coconut shell and husk intact was paired with a wax or candlewax stuck under the shell while being rub back and forth with one or two leg power. Best ever workout you can get on a Saturday morning; Shiny wooden floors formula: YCO floorwax and Bunot combo.
Thank you, all for this list of uses for the coconut. It really is a versatile plant. I’ll find a way to incorporate these in upcoming posts.
don’t you just love the line “they make good cannonballs up against the thieves”
haha…