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Coconut straight from the palm. How to crack a coconut?

During my first stay in the Philippines I was writing a blog. Today, I can see that I was amazed and surprised by almost everything at the time, which is now a normal part of Philippine daily life for me. However, I would like to share this passion with you, so let me quote some of the old texts (in a slightly modified version) on the foundation blog! Today the topic will be coconuts in the Philippines. How much do they mean to the Philippine economy? How to crack a coconut? What is calamay? Let’s check!

Philippine coconut in numbers

Did you know that the Philippines is the most important coconut exporter in the world? The Philippine islands account for as much as 20% of the world’s coconut exports. Mostly in the form of coconut oil and desiccated coconut (but more than 60 products are made from coconut!). Interestingly, despite being the leading exporter… they are not a major producer at all! In terms of production, the Philippines is behind India and Indonesia. Coconut plantations cover as much as 3.16 million hectares in the country! Another interesting information is how many coconuts a tree can produce. Philippine sources put it at 44 nuts per tree per year (and as many as 80-100 for hybrid varieties).

Coconut – a staple of Filipino cuisine

Coconuts are ubiquitous in the Philippines, growing almost everywhere. Everything that can be extracted from them is used in Filipino cuisine (and beyond!). Desserts, sweets and even ice cream made from fresh coconut are popular. You will definitely come across ‘biko’ here, which is sticky rice with coconut milk and brown sugar. It is eaten as a side dish or as a simple snack. Coconut also forms the base for dishes served for lunch or dinner, such as chicken soup, ‘utan’ (a soup made from a variety of vegetables) and many others. You must also try “bibingka“, which we have already mentioned 🙂

Coconuts in Subayon

In the research station at the Subayon village (which I will tell you more about, because as a Foundation, we have big plans for it!) there were a lot of coconut palms, which as a team we could exploit with impunity (more or less 🙂 ). Once upon a time… on one beautiful day at the beginning of my stay at our research centre, my colleague and I timidly, yet boldly, suggested to one of our Filipino colleagues that we had not yet eaten a coconut here, so it would be fun to try a fresh one, straight from the tree. Before we knew it, our Filipino friend was already at the top of a palm tree, whereupon we heard three thumps on the ground… thus we at instant we got three large coconuts!

How to crack a coconut?

As quickly as he climbed up, he climbed down and began to pick at the contents of the nuts. This is not such a simple task at all. So – how to crack a coconut? First, you have to chip off a significant part of the coconut to reach the inside. Two indigenous knives are used here – the bungay, which is about the size of a medium chopper (in fact, it resembles one in shape, but is more rounded), and the sundan. This is already a sizable machete (well, more or less 🙂 ). For splitting coconut, the former is sufficient, provided it is well sharpened.

But getting back to the point, or rather the inside of the coconut, the next step is to make a rather small hole. This allows you to drain out the water that is inside the nut. It is tasty, so it would be a pity to just pour it out, so it is best to fill a vessel of some sort with it. Once you have an ’empty’ (and therefore much lighter) coconut, the next step is to split it in two. This is also done with the aforementioned knife.

Let’s eat!

So we have arrived at the most important part – the pulp. It is the most important part of the nut and it is from it that we get the coconut milk and the ubiquitous desiccated coconut. The process of obtaining the above is long, so we limited ourselves to eating it raw. That is, half a coconut in hand, spoon and… enjoy your meal! While in the Philippines, be sure to try a fresh coconut!

Calamay – Bohol delicacy

The above text is about fresh coconut. One could talk much more about coconuts and their derivatives, but calamay deserves special attention. What is it? It is a sweet treat or something like a spread. Calamay is made by boiling and often stirring coconut milk, brown sugar and glutinous rice until it has a sticky and viscous consistency. Often peanuts are also added to it. Calamay is sold very nicely because it comes in a coconut shell. This product deserves attention because it is a well-known local product from Bohol, more specifically from the municipality of Jagna on the south shore of the island.


Author: dr. Filip Wojciechowki (Kahibalo Foundation)

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