Coconut emblem and coat of arms. Coconut trees are grown on all the islands. Before modern construction methods were introduced, coconut leaves were used as roofing material for many houses in the islands, while coconut timber was used to build houses and boats. The main coconut-producing area in the Middle East is the Dhofar region of Oman, but they can be grown all along the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and Red Sea coasts, because these seas are tropical and provide enough humidity (through seawater evaporation) for coconut trees to grow. The young coconut plants need to be nursed and irrigated with
Coconut rice is quite similar to coconut rice with addition of turmeric as coloring and flavoring agent. Another similar coconut rice recipe are rice dumplings with thicker texture, such as "burasa" from Makassar and "lemang" popular in Minangkabau. "Nasi lemak" (coconut milk and pandan leaf) is the most popular coconut rice recipe in Malaysia. It is considered a national dish of Malaysia. In Thai cuisine, sweet coconut rice is very popular as a dessert or sweet snack. It is made with glutinous rice, coconut milk, sugar, salt and water and most famously paired with slices of ripe mango and an additional dollop