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Text| Yan Yusheng
Edit| Ogawa
It's a coconut tree, but it doesn't grow coconuts, have you ever seen such a strange tree?
In some countries in Southeast Asia, such a coconut tree grows. Although it is "the most unserious" and does not produce coconuts all its life, it feeds millions of local people, some even as a high-end drink.
What kind of tree is this? Is it really that amazing?
Differentiated into three major varieties
The coconut tree mentioned at the beginning, called the West Valley Coconut, is often grown in Indonesia, Malaysia, and other countries. In appearance, the coconut tree in the West Valley is about the same length as a normal coconut tree, with lush branches and foliage, reaching a height of 10-20 meters. If you don't identify it carefully, you really think it's a coconut tree.
According to the local classification, there are three varieties of Nishigu coconut: the first is the prickly Nishigu coconut. The petioles and other parts of this coconut tree have some spikes, which are easy to prick people if they are not careful.
Compared to other coconut trees, the thorny West Valley coconut tree is relatively early-maturing, generally growing in 10-15 years. Due to the thick stem of the thorny West Valley coconut, its starch yield is also relatively high, almost 5-10 times that of other West Valley coconut trees. In the coconut groves of the entire West Valley of Southeast Asia, the thorny West Valley coconut tree occupies 60% of the growth area, which can be described as a large family.
The second is the thornless West Valley coconut. As it literally suggests, the thornless West Valley coconut is all about not having long thorns. As for the rest of the aspect, it is basically the same as the thorny Nishigu coconut. It's just that the growth area of thornless West Valley coconut is relatively small, accounting for only 7% of West Valley coconut groves, which is a niche species.
The third is the wild species of Nishigu coconut. Some of these West Valley coconuts contain a small amount of starch and can be eaten. Some do not contain starch, which can only be used as a building material, such as building a roof. Basically, it's a wide range of uses.
Starch is made from stems
As for how the locals deal with these coconut trees in the West Valley, many people may think that they are simply picking coconuts and eating them, but in fact, they are wrong. After all, as mentioned earlier, the coconut trees in the West Valley are not serious coconuts. Compared to ordinary coconuts, it is almost inedible, and can only be used to smash people.
So in that case, what part of the West Valley coconut is used by the locals?
Actually, it's the stem. Because the stem of the coconut is a huge starch storage organ. According to botanists' research, the stem of the West Valley coconut begins to accumulate starch at the base after 2-3 years of growth. Over time, this accumulated starch will gradually start to push towards the top, like making a mille-feuille tart cake.
After 6-8 years, the entire West Valley coconut tree, except for the top, is basically all starch. At this time, the locals will start harvesting immediately. Otherwise, the West Valley coconut tree will lose its value.
Why? Because in the fifteenth year, the coconut tree of the West Valley will grow an ear. As the flower spikes slowly blossom and bear fruit, those ripe fruits begin to absorb the starch from the stems. When it reaches a certain level, the stem of the tree is empty. At this time, the coconut tree of the West Valley will slowly die, as if it has been sucked out of the marrow.
Because of this, the locals cut down the trunk of the coconut tree in the West Valley in time to remove the starchy stem pith before the coconut tree blooms, so as to avoid loss.
After they take out the pith of the stem, they grind it into powder. Then, through a series of filtration methods, all the wood fibers inside are washed. After washing to a certain extent, the sago noodles are successfully baked.
According to the local production scale, the starch yield of a single stem of a fine West Valley coconut tree can reach about 120-260 kg. In other words, just cut down a few trees, and the starch needs of a family for a year can basically be satisfied.
As for the wild West Valley coconut trees, their starch yield is relatively low, generally about 20-70 kilograms. Some of the wild West Valley coconut trees don't even have a speck of starch, which can be described as shabby.
Overall, the yield of coconut groves in the local West Valley is quite good. Generally, each hectare of coconut grove in Xigu can produce 10-15 tons of starch, which can almost meet the starch demand of a village for a year.
Of course, the coconut palms of the West Valley vary from place to place. Therefore, their starch yield is also related to the soil, the water table and the variety of trees. As for which is more and which is less, it depends on the planting method in various places.
A staple for locals
In terms of use, the starch produced by these coconut trees in the West Valley is mainly used as a staple food for the locals. Sago, for example, is made from starch from the coconut trees of the West Valley.
After they coagulate this starch into granules, it instantly becomes a pure, white, and smooth rice grain. Locals also call it the "Pearl West Valley". According to the analysis of nutritionists, this staple food, known as sago, is almost pure starch. It contains 88% carbohydrates, 0.5% protein, and a small amount of fat and B vitamins.
Since sago has such a high starch content, it is also cooked in a more elaborate manner. During the cooking process, it can only be added to the pot gradually, not all at once.
And during the addition process, it is necessary to constantly stir so that the sago maintains a uniform texture. Otherwise, the pot of sago will easily clump or burn. It can be said that boiling sago is almost the same as cooking eight-treasure porridge, and the main thing is to keep improving.
Of course, in addition to using sago as a staple food, locals also use sago semolina for soups and cakes. The effect is the same as that of flour, and it can be kneaded at will.
Compared with other staple foods, the biggest advantage of sago is that it is shelf-stable and not afraid of insects. Locals can just pile it up in the warehouse and enjoy it without worrying about how long the sago will be placed.
However, according to today's observations, most of the sago sold in the market is generally a "conglomerate" mixed with other starch substances. For example, some businesses will adulterate tapioca flour with sago flour. So from a nutritional point of view, a lot of today's sago noodles have been greatly discounted.
Exported to all over the world
Of course, these miscellaneous sago noodles are not only used as a staple food locally, but also exported to other parts of the world. For these exported sagos, the locals add water to make a paste, then carefully grind it and finally make it into granular products through a special sieve.
According to the size of the particles, these sago will be divided into pearl sago and projectile sago. The pearls used in many bubble tea shops in mainland China come from these pearl sago. And the sago dew is from the projectile sago. Both of these products are the most popular drinks among today's young people.
In many parts of Europe, they mainly use sago flour to make puddings and sauce thickeners. It is then spread on the pastry for flavoring.
Nowadays, with the increasing demand for sago flour in many European countries, the cultivation area of coconut palms in the West Valley has also increased significantly in Southeast Asian countries. Borneo, Indonesia, for example, has deliberately expanded the cultivation of coconut palms in the West Valley. It then imports all of its finished products into European countries to earn foreign exchange.
It can also be used in industrial production
Of course, the starch extracted by the locals from the coconut trees of the West Valley can be used in other ways than just eating. Especially in terms of industrial raw materials, the figure of Nishigu coconut starch is almost everywhere.
For example, the local people make starch into alcohol, which is used to replace fuels such as oil. It is said that the calorific value of these bioalcohols is higher than that of ordinary fuels. In the textile industry, starch is processed into a stiffener that makes textiles more elastic and plump.
In addition, the local people will pile together the used residual starch and ferment it with lactic acid to make it into biodegradable plastic products. The degradable plastic lunch boxes that are popular in Southeast Asian countries today are basically made of coconut starch from West Valley.
It can be said that in terms of starch use, the local people have put all of it into industrial production based on the principle of "not giving up at all".
Even the wood fibres left over from the starch extraction are not wasted by the locals. They collect all the fibres and sell them in the market.
Some food and pet stores will come and buy it and use it for pancakes or fish food. Some roast duck shop owners even smoke roast duck with Nishigu coconut fiber. This will make the roast duck more flavorful and delicate.
It's full of treasures
It is worth mentioning that in the case of the West Valley coconut tree, it is not only the stems that can be used. The rest of it is also a valuable treasure.
For example, the leaves of the coconut tree in the West Valley can be used as a mosquito repellent, and some of the tender leaves can even be used for stir-frying. In addition, some of the beautiful coconut trees of the West Valley are specially cultivated by the locals, which are then used for greening in many places.
It can be seen that the coconut trees in the West Valley are almost full of treasures. Do you love a big tree like this that can be called a "plant hardware store"?
epilogue
Having said so much, let's finally make a summary of the West Valley coconut tree: First of all, the West Valley coconut tree does not grow coconuts, it just looks like coconuts. Secondly, the main role of the coconut tree in the West Valley is to produce starch, which in turn serves as a staple food for the locals, as well as other food accessories.
Third, Xigu coconut starch can also be used in industrial production, such as making tableware, clothes and so on. Fourth, other parts of the coconut tree in the West Valley also have certain uses, such as being used to repel mosquitoes and make green plants.
In short, the coconut tree in the West Valley is a god-like existence in the minds of the locals. Millions of people in the area depend on these coconut trees for their livelihood. It is with the existence of the coconut tree in the West Valley that they can inherit the wisdom of their ancestors and multiply. If it weren't for the West Valley coconut tree, they probably wouldn't be there.