Coconut
Botanically speaking, a coconut is a fibrous one-seeded drupe, also known as a dry drupe. However, when using loose definitions, the coconut can be a fruit, a nut, and a seed.
Did you know?
- The name coconut is actually a combination of nut, and the Portuguese word coco, meaning head or skull.
- Just like mangoes, cashews, and cherries, the coconut is actually a drupe and not a nut. The drupe is an item that has a fleshy outer part around a pit.
- The coconut tree, botanically named Cocus Nucifera, can grow up to 82 feet high and produce up to 180 coconuts during a single harvest season.
- Coconut water contains 94% water, on average, with approximately 46 calories in a cup.
- Coconut oils contain MCTs—medium-chain triglycerides—which are easy to digest. The oil is a source of energy and has an accelerating effect on metabolism. Coconut oils are very healthy and good for the heart.
- On average, three and a half cups of coconut equate to one tablespoon of fiber, the recommended daily amount of fiber for an adult.
- Coconuts, in different forms, are anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-parasitical.
- During World War II in the Pacific theater, coconut water was used to give emergency plasma transfusions to wounded soldiers.
- The husk of a coconut can actually be burnt to act as a natural mosquito repellent, a process used in many countries around the world.
- 5% of injuries in Papua New Guinea’s Provincial Hospital were reportedly caused by falling coconuts.
Coconut in its many forms—chips, butter, oil, or as a refreshing beverage—is used all around the world.
Source: unicomtea.com/20-fun-facts-about-coconuts
Recipe – Coconut Macaroons
Ingredients
¼ cup full fat coconut milk
3 Tbs. maple syrup
3 Tbs. chickpea flour
½ tsp. vanilla bean powder
¼ tsp. salt
finely grated citrus zest, optional
2 cups packed unsweetened shredded coconut, roughly chopped
Process
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk the coconut milk, maple syrup, chickpea flour, vanilla bean powder, salt, and citrus zest, if using, until smooth. Add coconut, stirring until blended. Scoop tablespoons of dough with a small cookie scoop into compact rounds onto baking sheet, two inches apart. Bake at 325°F for 25–30 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
Note: The chickpea flour acts as an egg replacement with no chickpea taste.