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Coconut milk

language culture Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Coconut milk is a creamy, white liquid made from mature coconuts.

Cononut milk
Cononut milk

It has a rich taste because it contains a lot of natural oil. This liquid is a very important food in many parts of the world. People in Southeast Asia, Oceania, and South Asia use it every day. It is also a traditional ingredient in East Africa. In places like the Caribbean and Central America, people use it for cooking too.

Brokencoconut
Brokencoconut

Making coconut milk is a careful process. First, someone must grate the white inner flesh of the coconut.

Coconut milk production
Coconut milk production

This can be done by hand or with a machine. Next, the shredded pulp is mixed with a little hot water. This helps the fat move from the coconut into the water. To get the thickest part, called coconut cream, the pulp is pressed through a cloth.

To make thinner milk, the pulp is soaked in hot water and pressed again.

People have used coconut tools for a very long time. The Austronesian peoples used special coconut graters during their sea voyages.

Coconut scrapper in Laclo
Coconut scrapper in Laclo

These tools helped them spread coconut culture to places like Polynesia and Madagascar. A traditional grater is often a low stool with a serrated disk. In Asia and Africa, these disks are usually made of metal. In Oceania, people might use stone or shell. In the mid-1800s, a British invention added a hand crank to make graters mechanical.

There are many different types of coconut products today. Coconut cream is the thickest and has the most fat. Coconut milk is thinner, while coconut skim milk has almost no fat.

Yosrisekaya1
Yosrisekaya1

You can even find coconut milk powder, which is made by drying coconut cream. Some people drink coconut milk beverages, which are diluted with water. In Puerto Rico, there is a sweet version called cream of coconut. This is used in treats like the piña colada.

Cendol in a Glass
Cendol in a Glass

Coconut milk is full of useful things for the body. In a 100 milliliter serving, it has 230 kilocalories. It is a very rich source of manganese, which is a mineral.

തേങ്ങാപ്പാൽ പിഴിയൽ
തേങ്ങാപ്പാൽ പിഴിയൽ

It also contains proteins and carbohydrates. People use it to make many different foods. It can be a part of cheese, like a garlic-spiced cheese called queso de ajo. It can also make soy milk taste more like real milk. It even helps make desserts like custard.

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🖼️ Images & Media (13)
File:The making of coconut milk 137 MKT - Instagram Images - 1080px x 1080px6.jpg
The making of coconut milk 137 MKT -...
File:Lunok or Latik (coconut curds) 2 - Philippines.jpg
Lunok or Latik (coconut curds) 2 - Philippines.jpg
File:Coconut scrapper in Laclo.jpg
Coconut scrapper in Laclo.jpg
File:Râper la pulpe du coco (Tieti, Nord, New Caledonia).jpg
Râper la pulpe du coco (Tieti, Nord, New...
File:തേങ്ങാപ്പാൽ പിഴിയൽ.JPG
തേങ്ങാപ്പാൽ പിഴിയൽ.JPG
File:Coconut Non-Dairy Milk (5082424201).jpg
Coconut Non-Dairy Milk (5082424201).jpg
File:Brokencoconut.jpg
Brokencoconut.jpg
File:Cononut milk.JPG
Cononut milk.JPG
File:Yosrisekaya1.jpg
Yosrisekaya1.jpg
File:Coco3wjf.JPG
Coco3wjf.JPG
File:Cendol in a Glass.JPG
Cendol in a Glass.JPG
File:Coconut milk production.jpg
Coconut milk production.jpg

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