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 coconut rice dish is "arroz con dulce" (coconut rice pudding) a dessert made with milk, coconut milk, coconut cream, raisins, vanilla, rum, sugar, ginger, and spice. Puerto Rican rice pudding is popular in Colombia, Cuba, and Venezuela. In Nigeria, coconut rice is made by cooking rice in the juice of shredded coconut flesh. The shredded coconut flesh is steeped in hot water and then drained to give "milk." The milk can be added to a tomato base, such as that used for jollof rice, or cooked on its own with the rice. Coconut rice Coconut rice is a dish prepared