To Eat A Coconut

pipa1, originally uploaded by nutrigardener.

Ahh. Travel memories. Every time I return from a trip my mind swirls with the recollection of it all, anchored, so to speak, by the tastes and smells of food. Tasting something similar here takes me back instantly too, which is fun, especially since a great little coffee shop that serves one of these foods (young coconut) is so close. Trouble Coffee, in the Outer Sunset Neighborhood of San Francisco, is a very convenient N-Judah train ride from downtown, and is well worth it for the signature combination of coffee, a young coconut, and a thick slice of perfect cinnamon toast. For me, sipping on the coconut takes me right back to the beaches and sweaty lowland towns of Central America, but even if your coconut frame of reference starts right there at Trouble Coffee, your coffee experience will take on a new dimension; you see, the coconut seems to make the coffee experience better-I leave feeling a bit healthier than I arrived, no jitters, no bitter coffee taste in my mouth..It’s definitely a synergistic combination!

If you don’t feel like heading to San Francisco’s one and only coffee shop with coconuts, get your own coconuts! Lots of international grocery stores have them, all white and wrapped in plastic wrap. I see prices ranging from $1.00 to $2.00 each, and all you’ll need to get inside is a machete. What? You don’t keep a machete ready in the kitchen? Try a heavy kitchen knife combined with a serrated one to finish the job. The coconut in the picture is whole, but you’re more likely to find the ones that have had the outer shell cut off. They’ll be white, with a bit of a cone on one end and a flat spot on the other. Take strong, confident whacks with the knife about ½ way down the cone-you’ll know you’re doing it right when you feel the blade hit an extra hard part. The toughness is highly variable from one coconut to another, but with several strong whacks you should be able to get inside. The liquid is usually completely filling the inside, so have a cup ready to pour the contents in to. You can use the serrated knife to saw the top completely off, making sure to leave a hole large enough to get a long handled spoon in to scrape out the tasty and very nutritious meat inside (the one in the photo was bought in Costa Rica-sip the liquid through the small hole, then the vendor will chop the whole thing in half, which works well too!). In the picture you can see that the coconut photographed had very little meat inside-it was more like pudding. This was an extra young one-the older it gets the tougher it gets, but most young coconuts you’ll find in the markets will have a nice, medium flesh perfect for eating fresh. Enjoy!