Coconut Etymology

One of the earliest mentions of the coconut dates back to the One Thousand and One Nights story of Sinbad the Sailor; he is known to have bought and sold coconuts during his fifth voyage. Tenga, its Malayam and Tamil name, was used in the detailed description of coconut found in Itenerario by Ludovico di Varthema published in 1510 and also in the later Hortus Indicus Malbaricus. Even earlier, it was called nux indica, a name used by Marco Polo in 1280 while in Sumatra, takedn from the Arabs who called it جوز هندي jawz hindi. Both names translate to “Indian nut”.

In the earliest description of the coconut palm known, given by Cosmos of Alexandria in his Topographia Christiana written about 545 AD, there is a reference to the argell tree and its drupe.

Historical evidence favours the European origin of the name “coconut”, for no name is similar in any of the languages of India, where the Portuguese first found the fruit; and indeed Barbosa, Borros, and Garcia, in mentioning the Malayalam name tenga, and Canarese narle, expressly say, “we call these fruits quoquos”, “our people have given it the name of coco”, and “that which we call coco, and the  Malabars tenga”.

The OED states: “Portuguese and Spanish authors of the 16^th c. Agree in identifying the word with Portuguese and Spanish coco “grinning face, grin, grimace”, also “bugbear, scarecrow”, cognate with cocar “to grin, make grimace”; the name being said to refer to the face-like appearance of the base of the shell, with its three holes. According to Losada, the name came from Portuguese explorers, the sailors of Vasco da Gama in India, who first brought them to Europe. The coconut shell reminded them of a ghost of which Portuguese folklore called coco (also coca). The first known recorded usage of the term is in 1555.

The specific name nucifera is Latin for “nut-bearing”.

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Sweet Traditional Indonesian Recipes

Coconut is a very popular ingredient in Sweet dishes in Indonesia, especially coconut milk as it is easily found throughout the country.

Bubur Kacang Hijau

Bubur Kacang Hijau is  a sweet desert made from mung beans porridge with coconut milk and palm sugar or cane sugar. It is sometimes simply referred to as "Kacang Hijau", meaning "green bean" (i.e. mung bean). Bubur means porridge. Slightly different names may be used in different regions of Indonesia, such as "Kacang ijo" in Javanese areas. It is often served as a dessert or snack, however it is a popular choice for breakfast or a late night supper. 

Ingredients:

-250 grams green soy beans (mung beans)

-750ml water

-300 ml coconut milk

-100g white sugar

-50g brown sugar (optional)

-½ teaspoon salt

-1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

-1 pandan leaf, cut smaller (optional)

Coconut sauce:

-200ml thick coconut milk

-2 cm ginger, crushed

-a pinch of salt

Method:

Clean the green soy beans. Then cook it with water until it’s really tender (like porridge). It is necessary to add more water if it’s not soft yet. And stirring it well while cooking.

When the green soya is already tender, add coconut milk, vanilla sugar then pandan leaf. By the time the coconut milk is half left, add the sugars (white and brown) and salt. Keep stirring it so it won’t burn.

Cook until it’s thick like porridge.

Make the coconut sauce by boiling all the ingredients.

Serve the green soya porridge (bubur kacang hijau) with the coconut sauce on top.

Bubur Ketan Hitam

Bubur ketan hitam, bubur pulut hitam, or bubur ijun is a sweet dessert made from black glutinous rice porridge with coconut milk and palm sugar or cane sugar. It is often described as 'black glutinous rice pudding" and is served for dessert, snack, for supper, for tea time, and other times of the day, but it is most popular during breakfast for those who prefer sweat rather than savory. It is sometimes referred to simply as "Ketan hitam" or "Pulut hitam", meaning "black glutinous rice".

Ingredients:

-1500ml water

-150g black glutinous rice (rinsed and soaked overnight)

-1 pandan leaf

-150g brown sugar

-a pinch of salt

-¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Coconut Sauce:

-a pinch of salt

-1 pandan leaf

-200ml thin coconut milk

Method:

Bring water to boil with black glutinous rice and pandanus leaf. Cook until thickened in medium heat. Season with brown sugar and salt, take off heat.

In simmer heat, cook coconut milk with salt and pandanus leaf until boiling.

Serve rice pudding with coconut milk sauce while still warm.

Dodol

Dodol is a sweet, toffee-like confection. In Muslim majority countries such as Indonesia it is commonly served during ceremonies such as Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as sweet treats for children. The Betawi people take pride in making homemade dodol during these ceremonies, where family members gather together to make dodol. The town of Garut in West Java is the main production center of dodol in Indonesia.

Ingredients:

(A)

-½cup sugar

-½cup gulah merah- chopped

-½cup water

-1 pandan leaf

(B)

-1 cup glutinous rice flour

-1 tablespoon rice flour

-400ml coconut cream

-100ml water

Method:

Combine ingredients A and cook on "high" for five minutes. Stir and cook further if the sugars are not dissolved.

Add ingredients b and stir well. Strain mixture.

Cook on "high" at 3 minutes interval, stirring vigorously at every interval. Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens, is shinny and does not stick to finger when touched.

Discard the pandan leaf and transfer dodol to a greased clingwrap. Wrap up well.

Kolak

Kolak (or Kolek) is a dessert made with palm sugar or coconut sugar and coconut milk, with pandanus leaf or added aroma. Banana may be added to this base, the dish then being called Kolak Pisang or banana kolak. Pumpkin, sweet potato, jackfruit, plantain and/or cassava, and sometimes tapioca pearl may also be added. It is usually served warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients:

-Cassava root or 1 Sweet potato

-3 tablespoons palm sugar

-300grams coconut milk

-1 cinnamon stick (optional)

-20cm pandan leaf (optional)

-1 banana (optional)

Method:

Peel and boil the cassava root in coconut milk until softened (use the sweet potato if you cannot find cassava root).

Once soft, add the remaining ingredients until it is as rich as you like.

Can be served hot or chilled

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