Coconut Palms - Trees of Life With Special Focus on the Tropical Seychelles

About this book

Steen G. Hansen (a well-known local environmentalist and author), Dr Victorin F. Laboudallon, and Charles Morel (curator of the Seychelles National Herbarium) have teamed up to write Coconut Palms – Trees of Life: With Special Focus on the Tropical Seychelles. The book focuses on the different coconuts found in the Seychelles, both varieties and hybrids; on the early days of coconuts in this country; on culinary, medicinal and other uses, and on the coconut’s role within the island's local craftwork and art. Finally, the authors have added an appendix with selected recipes from around the world and from the Seychelles – for breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks based, one way or the other, on coconuts. In other words: the coconut and its huge influence on Seychellois culture from the earliest days till today.

As Secretary-General for the Seychelles Institute of Culture, Heritage and the Arts, Mr Davíd André writes in the preface: "The cohesion relationship man-coconut tree is [...] an outstanding example of what you get back from nature, if you understand and work along understanding to the fullest the changes that have been the result of a well and careful process throughout evolution [...]  The coconut palm has had and still has an unmatching and indisputable influence on humans around the equator to an extent that the palm has almost become part of man’s DNA in these regions, and that it is unthinkable for these people to be themselves without a coconut tree within reach."

You will therefore often see the coconut described as "a Swiss army knife" of the plant kingdom. In one neat package, it provides potable water, a high-calorie food, fibre that can be spun into rope, a hard shell that can be turned into charcoal, and a handy flotation device. In other words: a trustworthy lifesaver in the tropics. However, the history and the secrets of the coconut have much more in store than just that, and if you dig a bit into it, an almost unbelievable adventure including the most fascinating details will be revealed.

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