World Coconut Day: Booking.com recommends five destinations to make the most of the fruit
Love knows no bounds, especially for the foodies who love to travel far and wide to indulge in a good meal. Many have an unparalleled love for coconuts, to an extent that people across the world celebrate it together in the form of World Coconut Day on September 2. Founded in 2009, World Coconut Day was started by the Asia and Pacific Coconut Community to promote the activities of coconut growers while raising awareness about the fruit for those outside of the growing community.
Coconut has a revered status in the cuisines of many countries in Asia and around the world. Whether it is shredded, whipped into ice cream or mixed with spices, each destination has its own unique way of bringing this fruit to life and making the dish exquisite! For all the coconut lovers looking to celebrate World Coconut Day, Booking.com has curated a list of five destinations where you can enjoy local delicacies specially made out of coconut.
1. Beijinhos from Brazil
Besides offering exotic scenic beauty of its Amazon rainforest, long beaches, sand dunes, delicacies made with coconut in Brazil will surely take your heart away. Beijinhos, is one such popular Brazilian treat made from sweetened condensed milk, butter, and coconut. Rolled into tiny balls, topped with some more shredded coconut and a clove on top, beijinhos are traditionally served at children's birthday parties, but loved by young and old alike. Besides Beijinhos there are several other traditional Brazilian dishes worth trying like Canjica (coconut based pudding), Quindim (coconut custard cake) and more.
2. Khow suey from Myanmar
Khow suey is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Burmese food. It is a delicious noodle dish made with egg noodles, curried chicken and coconut milk. Served with a variety of condiments, each spoon of soup is normally bursting with flavours and is sure to melt your heart away. One can also try simple yet classy Banana Pudding. Another dish worth trying is the Htamane, a traditional savory snack associated with the rice harvest festival held around the lunar month of Tabodwe (February).
3. Thit Kho from Vietnam
The coconut has intertwined itself into the long-lasting culture of Vietnam and created a reputation as one of the most treasured foods in the country. Thit Kho is an iconic Vietnamese side dish that makes the most out of pantry ingredients! Every Vietnamese family has its own version of Thit Kho which is mainly Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs in coconut water. Besides Thit Kho travellers can also try coconut candy, Che Dua Trang (rice pudding), coconut sticky rice and lots more.
4. Buko Pandan from Philippines
This classic dessert from the Philippines is a sweet salad. Green pandan jelly cubes float in a mixture of shredded coconut, tropical fruit, and sweet coconut cream or sweetened condensed milk (buko means coconut in Tagalog). Buko pandan is typically served during a Filippino salu-salo, a dinner party or gathering among friends, and is especially popular around Christmas.
5. Haupia from Hawaii
The beautiful island of Hawaii has its own distinctive style of food and desserts. One such famous delicacy is Haupia which holds a special relevance to the locals. Haupia is a Hawaiian dessert (or snack) that is made from coconut milk and is traditionally served in little cut squares or as a pudding. It can also be used as an ingredient in dessert recipes such as pie, ice cream, hand pies, cake, fruit salad and more.
