Jun 12, 2006

Food of the Gods

Some people claim, Chocolate is the Food of the Gods.
I object, my Lord. It is, Tender Coconut! (Known as karikku in Malayalam)
Fresh Tender Coconut has life restoring capacity and it is so pure, it can be
substituted for I.V fluid. When you have it, have it fresh in normal room temperature. Not refrigerated. Even an hour or so refrigeration will cause its taste to disappear.Tender coconuts, as the name implies are coconuts plucked before they turn mature. They are 90% water.Kerala, which simply means ‘the land of coconuts’, is abundant with this ‘Food of the Gods’. Every home, even the smallest one will have one or two coconut trees.

My dad would pluck 6 tender coconuts for all of us in the evening when he comes home from work, and after drinking the pure water inside, we would eat the soft flesh with jaggery. Drinking this pure and sweet water is like taking a shower under a natural waterfall. So soothing! So refreshing! There is nothing cooler than this, especially on a warm summer day.Yet, when you are easily provided with such natural nectar, people go dumb and go after products like coke and pepsi, which to me, is like slow poison if consumed daily. In Kerala too, these products started to slowly poison people’s drinking habits, but a controversy gave us the much needed jolt and in protest, now we have Tender Coconut Stalls all over Kerala.
Excerpt: In fact, more and more doctors now recommend tender coconut drink for many of their patients. It is found to be effective in urinary ailments and also recommended as a very go,od substitute for saline glucose. This drink helps to keep the body cool and applying it on the skin helps prevent boils during the prickly heat of the summer. It is also used to help remove the rashes caused by small pox, chicken pox and measles. It is also considered a close substitute for blood plasma since it is sterile, cool, easily absorbed by the body and does not destroy red blood cells. To quote Morton Satin, Chief of Food and Agricultural Organisation's Agricultural Industries and Post Harvest Management Service: "It is a natural isotonic beverage with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It is the fluid of life, so to speak."It is so delicate, attempts to package it has failed miserably. Though you get tender coconut in packages, it is never ever the same. I would rather have a frooti instead.

You cut the top portion of the tender coconut,put a straw and slurp up the water or you pour the water in to a cup and drink it. Then you cut open the tender coconut into two. Then scoop out the flesh with a spoon.While ordering for tender coconut, ask for the ones with a little flesh. It is not sweet, if it is complete water and with no flesh. Also, you lose the taste and the quantity of water, if the flesh is hard too.pic : soft flesh of tender coconut (this is the right softness) So, order one next time you see a vendor , on a bicycle with a load full of coconuts and enjoy Life!

1 comment:

Inji Pennu said...

17 Comments:
At 12/6/06 6:56 PM, archanat said...
LG
Nice photos, and quite a nostalgic note. Do u get Karikku in your place often?

At 12/6/06 7:24 PM, Gini said...
Great post LG.

At 12/6/06 7:41 PM, RP said...
Wonderful post about karikku, LG. Did it grow in your yard?
The photos are so tempting. I can't wait to go home and have some karikku.

At 12/6/06 9:50 PM, Indira said...
Great post and a delight!

Fresh coconut water and tender coconut meat, you are making me nostalgic, LG.:)

P.S: Did I mention that my in-laws do coconut business? :)

At 12/6/06 10:49 PM, starry nights said...
oh do I love tender coconuts and the water, you are absolutely right, nothing can take its place, But i have to say that I think "mango is the fruit of the gods in my book."

At 12/6/06 10:59 PM, Immigrant in Canada said...
Manushyane jeevikkan sammathikathilla alle? Athum spoon okke vechu photo eduthu.. kothi moothittu vayya..

At 13/6/06 3:37 AM, indianadoc said...
Nalla veyila ivide...appozha oral karikkum kondu vannirikkunnathu...this is unfair...Chumma kothipikkathey LG..

At 13/6/06 3:51 AM, Sumitha Shibu said...
Yes,nothing like some sweet tender coconut water on a warm day.Hey from where did you get karikku?

At 13/6/06 7:17 AM, Krithika said...
LG, tender coconut on a hot summer day.hmmm ... the taste here is just not the same. Nice post.

At 13/6/06 1:26 PM, Nabeela said...
I remember I once had an upset stomach for two days on a trip to Nellore and our guests forced down tender coconut water on me as a cure even though I didn't like it...but man o man!! it worked wonders within an hour!!

At 13/6/06 2:05 PM, Reshma said...
"You cut the top portion of the tender coconut,put a straw and slurp up the water "...and then you would want more of that ambrosia, so you discard the straw , tilt the coconut and try to get those last precious drops. A drop or two may trickle down your arm , but that wouldn't deter you from gettng those tantalizing last drops. and then you break open the shell, scoop out the flesh that is so tender that it quivers and slowly ...enikkippo naattil pONAm.
and LGse you mentioned your Dad plucking coconuts daily...how did he do that??that would be an interesting story. refreshing post LGse.

At 14/6/06 12:49 AM, മന്ജിത് | Manjith said...
Appreciate your efforts and research behind each and every posts. That maketh the difference!.

I wish you could share such knowledge here too.

This is enough for today, for a good sleep with some nostalgic dreams inspired by your Karikku.

At 14/6/06 10:07 AM, jac said...
lovely post.

At 14/6/06 1:44 PM, Shankari said...
just last weekend I was telling R that if this was India , I would have stopped at the roadside and had tender coconut. we get them in Asiam markets, but nothing compared to India. We had coconut groves in our village and used to enjoy ellanir and nungu (dont know the english name) during the summer

At 14/6/06 5:54 PM, Nila said...
Wow L.G amazing details, I used to drink tender coconut everyday when I was in India. You are reminding me of all the good times. Thanks for inviting me for the Green blog project. I would love to participate. So what are the plants you are growing, Can we have sneak a peek into your garden. ;-)

At 15/6/06 6:18 AM, Puspha said...
Gosh!!! I miss young coconuts. I love the tender coconur meat.

At 15/6/06 4:53 PM, L G said...
archana: yes,on weekends at a market near our home.we get it fresh!

gini: thanks

rp:no,dear. My coconut trees are very very small.

indira: thanks :) yeah, i think you told me once. Tender coconuts, too? What do they exactly do?

starry nights: :)

Sarahye: :-) sorrytto

indiandoc: :-) ayyoo!

sumtitha : We get it here on weekends at an open market near by

krithika: yes :).but what we get here in Florida almost tasts similar like the ones we get in Kerala. I think they are fresh,maybe thats why.

nabeela: yes,they are the best!

reshma: you describe it so eloquently.

manjith: thanks a lot.feels great when people like you comment on my blog. I get info only from google,
and ayyoo! i dont think i am good enough to write on wiki etc.

jac, thanks:)

shankari, yes!yes! nongu.i love them too!
nila and pushpa, thanks :)