Origin and History

The coconut originated in South East Asia and on the islands of Melanesia in the Pacific Ocean. It has been widely distributed by water (coconut floats) and man to all parts of the tropical and subtropical world.

Growing Conditions

The trees thrive best in tropical countries, near the coast, and on rich, sandy soil. Salt water is tolerated provided the water table fluctuates so as to give the roots aeration.

Description

The fruit of the coconut consists of a green or yellowish- brown husk inside which the coconut itself is found. The fibrous husk is waterproof and the protection it gives the nut has resulted in the seeds floating around the world to establish palms on most tropical beaches. The nut itself has a hard outer shell with a kernel inside. In the young ‘green’ coconuts, the kernel is soft and jelly-like and the central cavity is filled with coconut water (milk). As the coconut  matures the kernel becomes harder and the amount of water decreases. Dried coconut is the copra of commerce and is exported.

The coconut is one of the most prized fruits of the tropics and its use cuts across all ethnic groups. Its many parts are widely used for craft purposes, also for clothing and housing. The edible parts are the water and meat or jelly.

Although the fruit of a tropical palm, the coconut belongs to a different family from the Oil Palm or the Date Palm. In some countries it is called by other names. In Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, it is called “Nariel” and in Belize, “coco.” But whatever the name given, its popularity is readily acknowledged in all the countries of the region.

COCONUT WATER

The value of coconut water as a thirst-quenching drink requiring no purification or processing is universal. However its health-giving properties are not widely known and are often misunderstood.

Pure coconut water has virtually no fat, a little protein (5%) and provides carbohydrates in the form of sugar, which is responsible for its mildly sweet taste. At only 50 calories per glass, it could be considered a low calorie drink compared to fresh orange juice, which has 110 calories per 250ml (8-ounce) glass. The fresh nut contains about 50% water and about 30 to 40% oil.

Coconut water is often labelled as being high in sodium and so avoided by hypertensives for fear that it will raise their blood pressure. This is a wrong belief since a glass of this drink has only about 60mg of sodium, which is as much as the amount obtainable from large carrot or an unsalted egg. The coconut water is also one of the richest sources of potassium, a mineral believed to help lower blood pressure. In fact in studies done on animals at the University of the West Indies, coconut water was found to contain another substance which helps to lower blood pressure. The results of these studies, however, need to be verified by tests carried out on humans.

 COCONUT JELLY

The fat portion of the coconut is in the jelly. With the hardening of the jelly, its fat content increases. The extremely soft jelly from a young water coconut provides enough fat, equal to that in two teaspoons of cooking oil or margarine. As the coconut matures and becomes dry, the jelly or meat hardens and provides fat equal to 10 teaspoons of cooking oil. For this reason the coconut jelly is classified among the Fat food Group. The jelly, however remains high in potassium and provides dietary fiber.

Coconut milk

Our African forbears have passed on other uses of coconut milk. Not having a wide range of herbs and spices, the African slaves depended on the liquid or milk, taken from the meat of the coconut to add flavour to their food, such as rice and peas, stew peas, and traditional rundung (oil-down) and sancoche dishes.  The fat from the meat can be found in the milk. One tablespoon of coconut milk is equal in fat to one cookspoon  (½ cup) of rice and peas. It is from this very milk that coconut oil is obtained. Coconut milk, however, is low in protein and cannot be used to replace cow's milk in porridges.

Coconut oil

Because it is a vegetable oil, coconut oil has no cholesterol and has the same amount of fat as all other vegetable oils such as corn, soya, olive and sunflower. The difference between coconut oil and these oils is in the type of fat it contains. Coconut oil is rich in saturated fat as opposed to unsaturated fats in the other vegetable oils, except for palm oil.

While saturated fat in general has been found to raise cholesterol levels in the blood, this is not the case with the saturated fat in coconut oil. In fact the unique structure of the fat in coconut oil is more easily digested than the other oils which have fats of long chain length. It also leaves fewer residues, which can have toxic effects and increase risk of cancer. Moreover, oils are generally treated with hydrogen in manufacturing certain products. When long chain fatty acids are hydrogenated, e.g., Soya bean oil, they become like animal fat and tend to raise cholesterol levels. In contrast, coconut oil remains unchanged when hydrogenated.

Coconut fat, as part of the total intake, along with a well-balanced diet, will not have adverse effects. Adults, who need to reduce their fat intake, should decrease the amount of fat they consume from all sources. Merely switching from coconut oil to corn oil or soya oil will not be to their advantage.

COCONUT SWEET “Meats”

The meat of the coconut is often grated and used to make condiments and sweets. Because of the fat content, the grated coconut if left by itself outside of a refrigerator, would go rancid. The addition of sugar helps prolong the freshness without refrigeration. The condiment and sweets made from the coconut comprise basically, the grated meat, sugar, flavouring agents like ginger or spices and maybe colouring. The only difference in nutritional make-up therefore, it is the added carbohydrate from sugar. A comparison of the caloric values reflects this as follows:

When the milk is extracted from the shredded coconut the remaining “trash” can be used for cakes, buns and condiments instead of being thrown away. In this way much of the fat is removed but the dietary fiber is retained. Seventy percent of the desiccated or shredded coconut is sold directly to bakeries and confectionery manufacturers without further processing. The other 30% is further processed to produce coconut milk, coconut milk powder, coconut cream and even skimmed coconut milk with less than 3% fat compared to up to 30% in the regular milk

What is the difference between 
Coconut Milk, Cream of Coconut and Coconut Cream.

Coconut Milk is made by processing equal amounts of coconut meat and water to a paste and straining out the milky liquid.

Light Coconut Milk has a higher water content so it is lower fat. Both types lend an exotic flavour to curries and pasta dishes.

Cream of Coconut is a sweeter, thicker version of coconut milk, and contains added sugar and stabilizers. It is good in desserts and pina coladas. You will find it where cocktail mixers are sold.

Coconut Cream is pressed and dehydrated coconut meat. It resembles vegetable shortening, and is used in Asian and Caribbean cooking.

   Uses of the coconut palm

The coconut tree is called ‘the tree of Heaven’ because all of it is of use to mankind and some of the purposes for which the various parts can be utilized are as follows:

There are several different ways to enjoy fresh coconuts, which can be young or mature. Young coconuts have either a green shell or a white "husk" if the outer shell has been removed while mature coconuts are the more familiar-looking brown, hairy variety. The nutrients and physical characteristics change as a coconut matures. Young coconuts have more ‘water’ and soft, gel-like meat, and mature coconuts have firm meat and less ‘water.’ The nutrient values per 100-gram (edible) portion vary significantly as you can see in the chart below.

Energy (kcal) Moisture (g) Protein (g) Fat (g) Sugars (g) Dietary fiber (g) Potassium (mg) Iron (mg) Vitamin C (mg)	Water Immature Water Mature 16 22 97.0 92 NA 0.3 NA 0.2 4.1 5 0 0 NA 310 NA 1.1 NA 2	Flesh Immature Flesh Mature 77 389 84 50 1.4 3.5 3.6 39 10 4 0.7 7.5 257 360 1 1.1 6 2