Coconut.—The coconuts which are consumed in the United States are mostly imported. It is estimated that three hundred thousand coconut trees (Cocos nucifera L.) have been planted in Florida, and from 15 to 20 percent of them are already bearing. The common name of the tree is the coconut palm. The fruit of the coconut palm is used for many purposes. The immature nuts are often used medicinally, forming the base of a valuable ointment for external use. The jelly which lines the shell of the more mature nut furnishes a food product of great delicacy and high nutritive value. The milk of the coconut is itself highly esteemed as a delicious article of food. Grated coconut is one of the basic constituents of that familiar condimental substance, East Indian curry. Coconut oil is a very highly edible fat from which butter is made. The fat itself is valuable for cooking purposes. The composition of the coconut is shown in the following table:
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| | | | | Total | |
| Refuse. | Water. | Protein. | Fat. | Carbohydrates. | Ash. | Calories.
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| Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Per pound.
Edible portion, | | 14.1 | 5.7 | 50.6 | 27.9 | 1.7 | 2,986
As purchased, | 48.8 | 7.2 | 2.9 | 25.9 | 14.3 | .9 | 1,529
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The solid edible portion of the nut is highly oleaginous and contains also a considerable quantity of starch and sugar. Coconut milk is much poorer in nutrients than cow's milk, containing over 92 percent of water, only .4 percent of protein, and only 1.5 percent of fat. The carbohydrates contained therein are chiefly sugars.
Filberts.—The term filbert, according to some etymologists, is a corruption of the term "full beard," and is so named on account of its having many long beards or husks. The filbert is the fruit of the cultivated hazel tree (Corylus avellana L.). The nut contains a kernel having a pleasant taste and is quite oily and nutritious. It is not cultivated to any extent in this country where we rely principally upon the wild hazel for the hazelnut. The composition of the filbert is shown in the following table (edible portion, 47.9; refuse, 52.1):
Edible Portion.
Water, 3.7 percent
Protein, 15.6 "
Fat, 65.3 "
Sugar and starch, 13.0 "
Ash, 2.4 "
Calories per pound, 3,432
The filbert is produced in large quantities on the Asiatic shore of the Black Sea. The region of Trebizond is the most prolific source of the filbert.
