Target Exam

CUET

Subject

History

Chapter

Medieval India: Through the Eyes of Travellers

Question:

Which foreign traveler gave an interesting account of Paan and coconut in his writings about India?

Options:

Marco Polo

François Bernier

Ibn Batuta

Al Biruni

Correct Answer:

Ibn Batuta

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option 3: Ibn Batuta

Ibn Batutta described the coconut and the paan, two kinds of plant products that were completely unfamiliar to his audience.

Ibn Battuta’s description of the paan: The betel is a tree which is cultivated in the same manner as the grape-vine; … The betel has no fruit and is grown only for the sake of its leaves … The manner of its use is that before eating it one takes areca nut; this is like a nutmeg but is broken up until it is reduced to small pellets, and one places these in his mouth and chews them. Then he takes the leaves of betel, puts a little chalk on them, and masticates them along with the betel.

The following is how Ibn Battuta described the coconut: These trees are among the most peculiar trees in kind and most astonishing in habit. They look exactly like date-palms, without any difference between them except that the one produces nuts as its fruits and the other produces dates. The nut of a coconut tree resembles a man’s head, for in it are what look like two eyes and a mouth, and the inside of it when it is green looks like the brain, and attached to it is a fibre which looks like hair. They make from this cords with which they sew up ships instead of (using) iron nails, and they (also) make from it cables for vessels.