Language gives hint of coconut's importance to Goa: new book PANJIM, Dec 8: It is a popular urban legend that the Eskimo people have an unusually large number of words for snow. But there's no doubt that Goa has an amazing number of words dealing with the coconut tree, and its many products.
There are sixteen classes of words to describe different types of coconuts in Konkani, the spoken language of Goa. Seven words describe leaf-related terms, five for the kernel, and a few more for the shell and husk. This information is compiled in a new book, authored by master craftsman Vijaydatta Lotlikar, who released his 'The Art of Coconut Craft' (published by Goa,1556) on Monday. In what reads like a believe-it-or-not, Lotlikar's book -- focussed on his craft but looking at other coconut-related issues too -- notes that there are nearly two dozen words for coconut-related products alone. Half-a-dozen words are used to describe the tree itself: from the maad (coconut tree) to narl-maad (nut-producing tree), bandlolo madd (tree being tapped for toddy), zorddul (old, unproductive tree), kovatho (young, immature tree) and kanddi (straight, slender tree). More diversity related to the tree comes from the language, when Konkani describes parts of the coconut tree, and coconut-related work or workers. Quoting Dalgado's Portuguese-Konknni Dictionary (1905) and recent scholars, including posters who shared this information via cyberspace, Lotlikar's book points to the various words used to describe types of coconut in Goa. These range from the narl (coconut) to the addsor, xiallem or girpallem (tender coconut), xelanno (large coconut), bonddo (immature coconut), bonddi (incipient nut), vanz (empty coconut), adduk (dried-out coconut), moddko (coconut with water tried on tree), guddguddo (with kernel loosened from shell), biyaddok (seedling), penddi (bunch of nuts), tovli (slice of tender coconut), kap (slice of husk), kapem (half coconut split longtitudinally), kavatho (seedling), and morann (endosperm). Lotlikar's book also points out to the large number of uses that coconut is put to, both in Goa and beyond. Collating information from diverse sources, Lotlikar notes that coconut is used in food products -- as coconut 'meat', in dessicated farm, coconut water, coconut milk, cream, spray-dried powder, coconut chips, copra, oil, toddy, and more. It is also used as jaggery, beverages, vinegar, livestock feed, fragarance, heart of palm (palmito), sprout, snowball tender nuts, nata de coco, coconut candy and coconut biscuits. One recent rage in countries like the Philippines is virgin coconut oil -- extracted from fresh coconut, not copra, by mechanical or natural means, with or without using heat. To protect the oil's essential properties chemical refining, bleaching or deodorizing is avoided. It is believed to be high in minerals and vitamins. Besides, coconut has many non-cullinary uses. It gets used as coir, oil, leaves for thatching, palmwood, trunk hollows, husk and shells, dried shells, shirt buttons, midribs (for brooms or brushes) and roots (used as dye, toothbrushes, mouthwash and for dysentry). Its other useful parts include leaves (for roofing or reed mats), lime made out of dried coconut leaves burn to ask, made into musical instruments, used to build houses in Goa and Kerala, and for soap, fuel, tongue-cleaners and what not. PHOTOGRAPHS: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fn-goa/sets/72157622150617124/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/fn-goa/sets/72157617881100520/
