Coconuts are the familiar fruits of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), engineered like little survival capsules: an outer skin, a fibrous husk, and a hard shell enclosing the white endosperm, or meat, whose central cavity holds coconut water. The endosperm is eaten fresh, dried into copra for oil extraction, or grated and dried as desiccated coconut; freshly grated flesh squeezed through sieves yields coconut milk. Few crops are so completely used — husk fibre becomes coir, shells become charcoal, and the water, milk, oil, and flesh each feed distinct markets.