World Coconut Day

Ramon FVelasquez / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

September 2nd is World Coconut Day.

Coconuts are the fruit of the coconut palm and, like many things with "nut" in the name are not nuts, being drupes. The coconut is one of the larger drupes around and is covered in a fibrous husk whose outermost layer, coir, has a wide range of uses, such as ropes, mats, brushes, sacking and caulking.

Coconuts contain coconut meat, which is a white, fleshy part of the fruit that is used in candies and desserts and is also used dried. Coconut milk is obtained by pressing the coconut meat that can be used to create a number of beverages. Coconut water is the liquid found inside the coconuts and is drunk and turned into a vinegar. Coconut oil is used in cooking. There are various derivatives from the various parts of the coconut.

Almost every part of the coconut can be used in some way and it has significant economic value.

National Coconut Cream Pie Day

National Coconut Cream Pie Day is on May 8th in the United States.

This dessert is yet another flavour in the wide range of different cream pies that there are. As with all cream pies, this is made from a pie base, which may be a standard pie crust or instead made from cookies or Graham crackers that have been crumbled. The filling is put inside the pie crust, and is a rich custard or pudding made from eggs, flour, milk and cream, and is similar to crème patissière. Cream pies lack a crust top, but always have a whipped cream top.

The filling in this one is flavoured with coconut, and the top may be decorated with more coconut. Like many things with the word "nut" in the name, coconuts are not botanical nuts. They are in fact drupes. The white, fleshy "meat" of the coconut is the part that is most commonly used in cooking.