On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 966

why is it that in a bowl of mixed nuts, the small nuts end up at the bottom and the Brazil nuts on top? The same kind of segregation by size takes place in many different mixtures, from corn flakes to the soil It turns out that objects in a mixture are pulled downward through gaps in the mixture by gravity — and small gaps are more common than large gaps, so small objects more frequently sink than large ones Coconuts Coconuts are the largest and most important of all nuts They are the stone of a drupe, the fruit of Cocos nucifera, large (to 100 ft/30 m) tree-like palms that are more closely related to the grasses than to other nut trees They’re thought to have originated in tropical Asia, but their hardy fruits apparently floated to many parts of the world before humans began to transport them They were largely unknown to Europe until the early Middle Ages About 20 billion nuts are produced each year, mainly in the Philippines, India, and Indonesia The word coconut comes from the Portuguese coco, which means goblin or monkey The markings on the stem end of the nut can look uncannily like a face The tiny embryo resides under one of the eyes, through which it grows when it sprouts Coconuts consist of a thick fibrous fruit layer, the husk, within which is the seed proper enclosed in a woody shell The meat and milk constitute the seed’s endosperm, which contains enough nutrients and moisture to support the seedling’s growth for more than a year The entire fruit may weight 2–5 lb/1–2 kg, of which about a quarter is meat, 15% free water Coconut provides a backbone flavor in many tropical cuisines, from southern India and Southeast Asia to Africa and South America It’s often used in the form of coconut milk, which provides a rich, flavorful ... billion nuts are produced each year, mainly in the Philippines, India, and Indonesia The word coconut comes from the Portuguese coco, which means goblin or monkey The markings on the stem end of the nut can look uncannily like a face... end of the nut can look uncannily like a face The tiny embryo resides under one of the eyes, through which it grows when it sprouts Coconuts consist of a thick fibrous fruit layer, the husk, within which is the seed proper enclosed in a woody shell... proper enclosed in a woody shell The meat and milk constitute the seed’s endosperm, which contains enough nutrients and moisture to support the seedling’s growth for more than a year The entire fruit may weight 2–5 lb/1–2