Description
Coconuts have many uses, aside from being food. Some Indian traditions consider coconuts to have healing powers and a divine plant. Other usages for coconuts include drinks, art materials, clothing fibers, building materials, and chemicals. The trunk of the palm tree is used as building supports in tropical regions. The palm leaves are also used for building materials (roofs in straw huts) and as clothing (hula skirts). Even the stem near the top of the plant can be tapped for sugar, which can be fermented into alcohol. Artisans make sculptures and other forms of art using the coconut shell. Pressing the white meat of the coconut creates coconut oil. This is used primarily in shampoo, conditioners, and other skincare products. Coconut milk contains a large amount of cytokinin, which is the plant hormone that helped experimental botanists figure out how to get single cells to develop into embryos
There is only one type of coconut, but the age of the coconut divides coconuts into different categories. The first stage of the coconut is Baal, which is the tender or baby coconut. This coconut consists of 90-95% water. The second stage of the coconut is Madhyam, or the half-mature coconut. At this stage, the water becomes slightly milky and the coconut has some soft pulp, or copra. The final stage of the coconut is Pakva, or the fully mature coconut. At this stage, the coconut has a hard pulp, or copra, and very little water. It is difficult to digest the coconut, and, if consumed daily, hyperacidity and elevated cholesterol levels occur.
The coconut is the reproductive structure, or endosperm of the palm tree. A coconut is a one-seeded drupe, which means that the seed is located inside the flesh of the fruit. The outside of the coconut is called the husk. When the fruit is on the tree, the husk is green, but after the coconut is picked and dried, the husk turns brown. The portion of the fruit in which the fiber or coir is located is called the mesocorp. What we buy at the grocery store is the hard inside of the drupe. It consists of a hard shell, an endocarp, and the seed layers. Inside the shell is the seed coat, which is extremely thin, the copra, or white flesh, and finally the coconut milk. Both the copra and the milk are the endosperm of the fruit, making coconuts the only plant that has liquid endosperm bathing the embryo.
Cooking & Eating Methods
Coconuts can be eaten straight out of its shell. One can drink the coconut water, a clear liquid which has a very sweet flavor. The flesh is prepared and eaten in many different ways. It has a sweet, nutty flavor, and a crunch, chewy texture. The flesh of the coconut can be shredded or flaked, and is used in many pastries and candies, as well as in Indian and Caribbean cuisines. Its use in Indian and Caribbean foods is to make the spices milder for the diner. Coconut milk, coconut cream, and cream of coconut are all prepared from the flesh. Pouring boiling water over shredded coconut makes coconut milk. It then may be sweetened, depending on he chef. Coconut cream is made in a similar way to coconut milk, except it contains less water. It is the thick fatty portion that separates and rises to the top of canned or frozen coconut milk. Both coconut milk and cream are used in many cooking methods, primarily in India and the Caribbean. Cream of coconut is a canned commercial product made from sweetened coconut-flavored liquid. It is used primarily for baking and in beverages and cocktails.
Storage
Fresh unopened coconuts should be stored at room temperature for up to four months. Grated fresh coconut should be put in a tightly sealed container and stored in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer for up to six months. Unopened canned coconut can be stored at room temperature for up to eighteen months. Packaged coconuts in plastic bags can be stored at room temperature up to six months. The high oil content in coconuts makes them turn rancid quickly if not stored properly. One medium sized fresh coconut will yield 3-4 cups of grated or flaked coconut and 1 cup of liquid. If shredded coconut becomes dry, it can be soaked in milk for 30 minutes and then patted dry.
Cost
Coconuts can be found at almost any fruit stand, fruit supplier, or grocery store. The price of a coconut ranges from $.99 each (at a grocery store) to $2.99 each (at a fruit supplier).
Nutritional Composition
References
Gibson, Arthur C. Plants and Civilization. University Of California Los Angeles, California;
1996.
Hause, Alan M. and Labensky, Sarah R. On Cooking. Pearson Education, New Jersey; 2003.
Trager, James. Food History. Oxford University Press, New York; 1999.
About.com copyright 2003.
February 23, 2003; 11:41pm.
