The flour grains came mostly from cattails and ferns, plants whose roots are rich in starch, kind of like a potato.

They also use the starch-rich fruit to produce a kind of flour, and the rest of the coconut is used for animal feed and charcoal.

Nian Gao is often made from glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, salt, water, and sugar. It is delicious when steamed, fried, or even eaten cold.