The Memoirs of Bābur 932.12.1

932.12.1

The coco-nut palm (P. _nārgīl_, _Cocos nucifera_) is another. An `Arab gives it Arabic form[1867] and says _nārjīl_; Hindūstān people say _nālīr_, seemingly by popular error.[1868] Its fruit is the Hindī-nut from which black spoons (_qarā qāshūq_) are made and the larger ones of which serve for guitar-bodies. The coco-palm has general resemblance to the date-palm, but has more, and more glistening leaves. Like the walnut, the coco-nut has a green outer husk; but its husk is of fibre on fibre. All ropes for ships and boats and also cord for sewing boat-seams are heard of as made from these husks. The nut, when stripped of its husk, near one end shews a triangle of hollows, two of which are solid, the third a nothing (_būsh_), easily pierced. Before the kernel forms, there is fluid inside; people pierce the soft hollow and drink this; it tastes like date-palm cheese in solution, and is not bad.