|
Thailand
/ Tropical fruit / Coconut
Thai name:
Ma-phrao
Scientific
name: Cocos nucifera L.
Season: all
year
Coconuts,
available throughout the year, are inescapable at a Thai meal
for in some form they figure in almost every dish. Coconut
milk is a prominent ingredient of curries and soups, and the
sliced or grated flesh turns up in many as well; it is even more
ubiquitous in desserts, appearing as the basis of delicate custards,
in the form of candy, as crispy strips cooked in brown
syrup, and in countless other confections.
For a visitor,
an especially exotic treat on a hot day is a freshly opened young
coconut, whose tender white flesh and sweet juice can be enjoyed
whenever the mood strikes.
|