The Cream of the Coconut
We give you plenty of reasons to love this versatile fruit
Not only the culinary darling in chefs’ kitchens these days, the coconut is used for more things than you’d ever imagine. We trace the coconut’s history and its many uses from fruit to shell. Get ready to b e surprised.
Ages before the first European sails ever crossed the horizons, tropical communities have thrived with heaps of help from the multi-talented coconut. Palms sprout high out of sandy soil to dwarf surrounding foliage. I only first grasped the coconut’s true value during a recent stint in the Fijian Islands— where it’s easy to reap resources from the land.
Back behind the high-tide line of a hidden beach, in the shadows of a Tarzan-like jungle, my daughter, Melita, and I would spend the occasional afternoon filling a sack with fallen coconuts. We’d comb the ground under the coco grove and reach for the best ones.
Not only do we use the coir—the fiber from the husk—as kindle for our fires and mulch in our gardens, but around the world it’s traditionally transformed into mats, rope, brushes, bedding and other practical items.
The durable coco shells can double as bowls, musical instruments and candle holders or be turned into buttons and an abundance of crafty items. However, I have a strong feeling the coconut shell bra cupping the breasts of island women in the movies is Hollywood’s invention. My favorite homemade contraption is my coconut shell coffee maker. I won’t try to
describe it (check out the photo on page 40) but I must say, it even impresses the native Fijians.
Copra—dried coconut meat—is made into oil, then used in cosmetics, soaps, massage oils, body butter moisturizers, shampoos and shower gels, and the list goes on. These beauty products are easily absorbed into the skin. Whenever I get a whiff of the coconut scent in suntan lotions (anyone remember the old Coppertone billboard with the dog biting at the girl’s swimsuit?) it wells up nostalgia of childhood days at the beach.
But there are even more uses for this hard-shelled fruit. The Philippines are the largest exporter of coconut worldwide. In fact the locals dubbed it “The Tree of Life” because of its multitude of practical uses. Houses have been built using the coco tree trunk and small canoes and drums have been made from it as well. The leaves have been woven into baskets, hats, roofing and such, and the edible insides have provided nutrition.
Healing powers abound in this dandy drupe. Lauric acid in coconut helps rid the body of germs. Oil pulling—the swishing of the oil in the mouth and through your teeth so that the oil “pulls out” bacteria, viruses, fungi and other oral shrapnel is an age-old practice in oral hygiene and is resurging. Young coconut water contains estrogen characteristics which remain sterile until the coconut is opened. This water blends readily with human blood, and because of its high level of sugars and salts, it was used during World War II in emergency transfusions and can be a temporary intravenous hydration fluid. Tea made from the husk fiber aids in different sorts of inflammatory disorders. Heck, the electrolytes in coconut water alone will challenge all claims the prefab sports drinks have on efficient human rehydration. It’s tough to mimic nature.
Besides the obvious that coconuts grow only in tropical and subtropical zones, no one knows their exact origin. They’ve found fossils in South America and India that date to prehistoric times. Now we’re talking back about 50 million years. One thing researchers agree on is that this fruit has spread around the planet mostly because of the human race. Make no mistake, much respect is given to the big seed’s hardy life form and the fact that it expanded its empire by floating across miles of ocean on its own and created new colonies on distant shores. But according to the script, the resourceful seafarers of long ago did a mass amount of distribution.
Recently, the health food world has gone co-co crazy. At the first mention of this article to my cowgirl sister, she spat out, “Oh yeah, they feed coconut meal to the performance horses. It has clean burning omega fats, helps if a horse suffers from metabolic disorders, and is good for their digestive system.” Meanwhile, I’m wondering how she knows this stuff ….
The Sanibel Sprout co-owner Nikki Rood is into it as well at her organic health food store. “We use organic, unprocessed coconut water and Bob’s Red Mill shredded coconut in most of the smoothies and plant-base recipes we make,” she says. “Coconut water is incredibly hydrating and acts as a nice internal lubricant.” Rood notes the medical and nutritional arena’s current controversy of the coconut’s effect on concerns like cholesterol, with some touting its ability to correct some disease states and others knocking the saturated fat factor. “Any saturated fat should be used sparingly,” she says. “Coconut oil does have immune-building properties and is an excellent alternative to animal fats.”
Heck, the electrolytes in coconut water alone will challenge all claims the prefab sports drinks have on efficient human rehydration. It’s tough to mimic nature.
I’m a sucker for coco’s bright white flesh. Often grated over a breakfast bowl of fresh paw paw, lime and banana, or I’ll make it into a silky cream that mingles with recipes for lunch and dinner. The flavor is exotic.
Before you can bite it, first you must husk it—prying off the outer casing to reach the fortified fruit. This takes practice. A metal rod or sharpened stick jammed into the ground and a bit of muscle will do the trick. There’s a raw, satisfying feeling you get from ripping away the coco’s gristly exterior, then grasping the weighty, liquid-laden shell in your hand. At this point, it’s easy to see why Portuguese and Spanish explorers called this brown ball, with its facial features staring at you … coco, meaning head (with a monkey face).
To create cream from this earthy gem (although a can in the store costs roughly two bucks), I start by splitting the shell of a husked coco in two with a calculated thud from the blunt edge of a cane knife. Then I scrape out the meaty white substance of each half with a small clawlike metal scraper that’s attached to a piece of wood that I sit on. The grated coconut piles into
“I use coconut a lot in my cooking. I find that it adds flavor without being overpowering. It’s also a good way to add sweetness to something savory.”
—Executive chef Melissa Talmage, Sweet Melissa’s Cafe
a basin below. Water that’s been steaming over a fire is then poured over the white fluff. Let the concoction soak a while and finally hand squeeze the coconut so just the rich remains are left in the bowl. This is the goods.
You can add this cream to limitless recipes. Start by pouring some into a glass with a little pineapple juice and a shot of rum. Then sit down and consider your options: cakes, curries, stirfries or combined with fish, chicken, beef, fruits and veggies. Feel free to get creative here. Kokoda, one of my favorite Fijian dishes, is cubed raw fish cured in lime juice and combined with diced trimmings like onion, tomato, cucumber, garlic, chili, salt and finished by adding coconut cream. Gotta try it if you haven’t.
Southern Florida is the only place in the continental United States that can grow coconuts, and executive chef Melissa Talmage of Sanibel Island’s Sweet Melissa’s Cafe focuses on using local produce and seafood. “I use coconut a lot in my cooking,” she says. “I find that it adds flavor without being overpowering. It’s also a good way to add sweetness to something savory.” Talmage utilizes the coco’s versatility to the max, “I have a coconut mojito on the cocktail menu and a coconut sorbet on my dessert menu.”
I’m realizing that coconut is high-class. It handles gourmet. Sophisticated dining establishments frequently bring it into play.
Near historic downtown Naples, Gordon’s on the River knows fine food. Chef Neville Ebanks praises the coconut. “Coconut is a great ingredient to have in the pantry. It’s very versatile,” he says. “Besides adding a touch of the tropics to your dishes, it adds great texture when used with fish or chicken.”
I’m happy to see so many people appreciate the coconut. Besides being a fabulous food, there are ample reasons to be a fan. Whenever I find myself in one of those warm places in the world, where the breeze blows through the palms and the salty ocean is close by, I know it’s time to mingle with the coconut culture.