September 2nd is World Coconut Day (June 26th is National Coconut Day), a holiday observed big-time in the Asian and Pacific countries, which are home to most of the world’s coconut-producing countries. National Coconut Day in the U.S. is June 26th.

World Coconut Day was established to increase public awareness of the health and commercial benefits of coconut, a fruit that has been on earth for millions of years, much to the benefit of humanity (we’ll talk further about that in a bit).

While some Americans might think that our coconuts come from Hawaii, the top three coconut producers, representing 75% of the world output, are Indonesia (17+ metric tons), the Philippines, and India (both around 15 metric tons).

Smaller quantities from 2.5 to .5 metric tons are produced in Sri Lanka, Brazil, Vietnam, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, and Malaysia [source].
 
 
DO COCONUTS GROW ON PALM TREES?

Yes, but only on the coconut palm tree (Cocos nucifera), a member of the palm family (Arecaceae). The family includes a variety of plants: climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants. All are commonly known as palms.

Yet with all the Arecaceae members, the coconut palm is the only extant species of the genus Cocos, i.e., the only tree that bears coconuts.

Coconut palm trees grow up to 100 feet tall. Each tree can yield up to 75 fruits per year, though fewer than 30 are more typical.

The trees are intolerant of cold weather and prefer copious precipitation, as well as full sunlight; i.e., the tropics.

The term “coconut” (the archaic spelling was cocoanut) can refer to the whole coconut palm tree, the seed, or the fruit.

Yes, the coconut is botanically a fruit, not a nut. The “nut” portion of its name was given because of its similarity to hard-shell nuts.

The part of the coconut that we eat is the inner flesh (called coconut meat) of the mature seed of the coconut palm. Here’s another bit of botany: Coconuts are drupes.

Drupes (here’s more about them) include stone fruits (apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach, plum, etc.; and tropical fruits like coconut and mango. Nuts—almonds, hickory nuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts—are also drupes; as are peppercorns.

And there’s yet another group of drupes typically not eaten raw, which includes coffee and olives†.

The coconut is different from these drupes, A coconut is a fibrous one-seeded drupe, also known as a dry drupe.

 
The name coconut comes from the old Portuguese word coco, meaning head or skull. Why?

There are three indentations on the coconut shell that were thought to resemble facial features.
 
 
THE “TREE OF LIFE”

The coconut palm is one of the most useful trees in the world. It provides food (flesh, coconut milk, and coconut water*, cooking oil), fuel, and building materials, and is used in cosmetics and homeopathic medicine, among many other uses (hence, the tree of life).

 
The Tree of Life, indeed!

COCONUT HISTORY

No one knows exactly when the first coconut palm tree appeared, but the oldest coconut fossils found date to some 55 million years ago [source].

Coconuts were domesticated in prehistoric times by the Austronesian peoples, indigenous to Taiwan.

Coconuts likely were first cultivated on islands in Southeast Asia: the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and perhaps on the continent as well. In the Indian Ocean, the likely center of cultivation was the southern periphery of India, including Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and the Laccadives [source].

They subsequently expanded to Madagascar, Maritime Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Coconuts were spread during the Neolithic era (from 10,000 B.C.E. to 4,500 B.C.E.) via seaborne migrations of people…and the fruit, which can float, may well have made its way across oceans.

Coconuts played a crucial role in the long sea voyages of early people. They provided a portable source of food and water, as well as building materials for outrigger boats.

Coconuts were later spread along the coasts of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans by Arab, European, and South Asian sailors. Arab sailors carried coconuts from India to East Africa as long as 2,000 years ago [source].

Arab traders also introduced coconuts to Europeans, first along the trans-Asian Silk Roads. Among the traders was the Venetian adventurer Marco Polo, who encountered the tree in Egypt in the 13th century, calling its fruit “the Pharaoh’s nut” [ibid].

Here’s more about how coconuts reached Europe.

Coconuts Reach The Americas

Coconuts were introduced by Europeans to the Americas during the colonial era of the Columbian Exchange, following the voyage to the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

However, to dig into the ancient past, there is evidence of a possible pre-Columbian introduction of coconuts to Panama by Austronesian sailors [source].

For the present, think of what coconut recipes you’d like to try, to celebrate World Coconut Day.
 
 
OUR 10 FAVORITE COCONUT FOODS & MORE COCONUT RECIPES

[1] Looking up to the top of a coconut palm tree (photo © Gerson Repreza | Unsplash).

[2] Clusters of coconuts growing on a tree. When the coconuts are green, they contain more water than meat. These are cut down before they develop their hard, brown shell (photo © Tome 213 | RGB Stock).

[3] The mature coconut, with a hard brown shell, yields white coconut meat. The shells are turned into charcoal or dissolved into printer’s ink and pesticides (photo © Tijana Drndarski | Unsplash).

[4] Piña Colada, one of our favorite drinks. Here’s the original recipe (photo © Tommy Bahama).

[5] Coconut fried shrimp, also called coconut battered shrimp. Here’s a recipe (photo © Dons Bogam | NYC).

[6] German chocolate cake uses coconut in the filling and frosting. Here’s a recipe (photo © Betty Crocker).

[7] Coconut macaroons. Here’s a recipe (photo © Djwtwo | CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0-License).

*Coconut water occurs naturally within the fruit; coconut milk is a processed beverage.

†Olives cannot be eaten from the tree. They contain oleuropein and phenolic compounds, which, while not poisonous, must be removed or at least, reduced, to make the olive palatable.

[1] Take advantage of fresh figs to serve with breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert (photo © Heather Barnes Wesual | Unsplash).

[2] Deep Ellum Blue Cheese (photos #2 and #3 © Mozzarella Company).

[3] The blue in Deep Ellum Blue is on the top (rind) of the cheese, not in the paste. Yes, do eat the rind!

[4] Prosciutto di Parma. You can substitute its Spanish cousin, serrano ham (photo © DiBruno Bros.).

[5] Frisée salad topped with figs (photo © SXC).

[6] Add them to crostini or bruschetta. Here’s the recipe with blue cheese (photo © The Daily Deelight).

Ah, fresh figs: a seasonal delight. Dried figs are available year-round, but there’s a certain joy of biting into the pliant flesh of a fresh fig.

Figs may be one of the first foods cultivated by man. Fig cultivation precedes the domestication of barley, legumes and wheat, and may thus be the first known instance of agriculture.

In the millennia before Europe and the Middle East had access to cane sugar or beet sugar, figs were used, in addition to honey, as sweet snacks and to sweeten cakes, puddings and other desserts.

Here’s more on the history of figs.
 
 
WAYS TO ENJOY FIGS

In addition to the eating figs out of hand, with the cheese course, and in the featured appetizer recipe below—serve figs:

 
RECIPE: FIGS IN A BLANKET

This recipe is from the Cheese Lover’s Cookbook and Guide by American cheese-making royalty Paula Lambert of The Mozzarella Company.Recipe copyright © 2000 by Paula Lambert.

The figs are wrapped in prosciutto along with Paula’s Deep Ellum Blue cheese.

Since the “blanket” is prosciutto, not pastry, it’s also a low carb, gluten-free appetizer.

About Deep Ellum Blue Cheese

Unlike other blue cheeses, Deep Ellum Blue has no blue veins. The “blue” is the diamond-scored, blue-mold-mottled, edible rind (photos #2 and #3).

Deep Ellum Blue is soft, creamy and spreadable. Its flavor is robust and earthy, but not too strong or salty. Serve it on a cheese plate, as a slice atop a green salad, or atop chicken, beef and veal dishes.

It’s is especially good with Port and dessert wines. You can order Blue Ellum here.

Deep Ellum Blue is named for the location in Dallas where The Mozzarella Company’s cheese factory is located. The name also recalls the neighborhood’s legendary blues singers of years past.

If you can’t get your hands on it, look for another creamy blue: Cambozola Blue (Germany) or Double Crème Blue from Castello Cheese (Denmark), for example.

How To Serve Figs In A Blanket

Figs In A Blanket recipe are delicious as an appetizer, with a glass of wine, and as:

 
Ingredients For 8 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Brush a non-stick baking sheet with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Separate the slices of prosciutto and cut each in half so that there are 16 pieces of sliced prosciutto. Set aside.

2. DIVIDE the Deep Ellum Blue into 16 pieces and roll them into small balls. Cut the figs in half. Press your thumb into the cut side of each fig to make an indentation.

3. PLACE a ball of cheese into the indentation of each fig. Wrap each fig tightly with a piece of prosciutto, taking care to completely enclose the Deep Ellum Blue so that it won’t run out while baking. Gently squeeze the prosciutto-wrapped figs to seal the packets and place the figs on the prepared baking sheet with the prosciutto seam down.

4. POUR the balsamic vinegar, the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and honey into a small dish and stir to combine. Transfer the figs to the oven and bake for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese begins to melt and the prosciutto begins to brown.

5. REMOVE from the oven and, using a spoon or a silicone basting brush, drizzle the balsamic vinegar dressing over the figs.

6. SERVE. Place the Figs In A Blanket, while still warm, on a platter and sprinkle with the mint; or use in any of the other recipes mentioned above.

 
MORE FIG RECIPES

September 1st is National Cherry Popover Day. Popovers have been a family delight, although our mother and grandmother, both excellent bakers, didn’t make them. Instead, the family went for frequent brunches at a restaurant known for its popovers. Alas, the restaurant is gone and our option is to bake our own. Fortunately, it’s pretty easy.

You can always make regular popovers and serve them with cherry preserves, and that will be absolutely delicious. But the cherries bursting out of these popovers are much more special. (The cherry mixture is made separately and spooned over the baked popovers.)

> Check out the difference between popovers and Yorkshire Pudding and other uses for a popover pan.

> National Blueberry Popover Day is March 10th.

> National Raspberry Popover Day is May 3rd, and you can substitute raspberries or your berry of choice in the popover recipe below.

> Classic popover recipe.

> There are more popover recipes below.

> The history of popovers.

> The history of cherries.
 
 
RECIPE: CHERRY POPOVERS

This recipe for Cherry Popovers is adapted from Elephantine Blog, which, alas, is now closed to outside readers. Thanks to Rachel Ball for the recipe. And additional thanks for the introduction to dark chocolate balsamic vinegar. We’d never come across it before.

If you don’t have a popover pan, use a muffin pan with cups approximately 2 1/2″ wide x 1-1/2″ deep. If you’re hesitant to buy a popover pan, here are more uses for it.

In a regular muffin pan, the batter should fill close to 10 muffin cups. You’ll end up with a flatter popover, more muffin-like in appearance although still as flavorful.

And here are popover baking tips from King Arthur Baking.

Regarding the garnish: We’re not keen on powdered sugar. It always gets on our clothing. We used a dab of mascarpone instead. You can pass a dish of it.

You can also turn these popovers into a dessert with lemon curd or ice cream.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. CRACK the eggs into a mixing bowl; add the milk and whisk together. Slowly add the flour and salt, and continue whisking until the ingredients are well combined.

2. ADD the melted butter, mixing until the dough is smooth. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.

3. PREHEAT the oven to 450°F. Oil 6 popover cups with 1/2 teaspoon of cooking oil. Use a pastry brush to fully coat the sides of each cup. Put the greased popover pan into the oven as it heats.

4. PIT the cherries and cut them in half. Place them in a medium mixing bowl and sprinkle with sugar, gently tossing until the cherries are well-sugared. Pour the balsamic vinegar over the fruit mixture and stir. While the popovers are baking, keep stirring the fruit mixture occasionally. By the time the popovers are ready, the sugar will be dissolved in the balsamic and the cherries will be coated in syrup. (For extra credit, mash the coated cherries, just a little bit, to make a juicier fruit mixture).

After the batter has rested for 30 minutes…

5. REMOVE the hot popover pan from the oven. Quickly pour the batter into each popover cup, distributing the batter evenly. Fill each cup about 3/4 full.

6. PLACE the pan back into the oven. Bake the popovers for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until the popovers are golden brown on top. Word to the wise: don’t open the oven door until you’re getting close to the end of the baking process. A quick temperature change with undercooked popovers can make them collapse.

7. GENTLY OPEN a warm popover. Spoon the sugared balsamic cherries inside, and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

[1] Hot popovers are split open and topped with the cherry mixture (photo © Elephantine Blog).

[2] Fresh bing cherries. You can substitute frozen cherries (photo © Gaelle Marcel | Weusual | Unsplash).

[3] Confectioners sugar is the suggested garnish…(photo © Katharine Pollak | The Nibble).

[4] …But we preferred passing a bowl of mascarpone (photo © Vermont Creamery).

[1] The ice cream sensation of the summer: Van Leeuwen’s Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Ice Cream (photos #1 and #2 © Kraft).

[2] The sweet ice cream is flavored with Kraft Mac & Cheese powder.

[3] Charlie Trotter’s goat cheese ice cream with roasted figs and tuiles*. Here’s the recipe (photo © Charlie Trotter).

[4] Cheddar ice cream on an apple crisp. Here’s the recipe (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

Here’s a food gift for that person who wants to snack out on a limb.

This year, we were invited to try “Everything Bagel” ice cream and then, in July, Kraft Mac & Cheese ice cream. We didn’t try either, but we followed the comments of those who did.

The Mac & Cheese ice cream from Van Leeuwven was made with the same cheese powder as Kraft’s blue box wonder.

There are no bits of macaroni, likely because even when cooked, the frozen elbows would have become as hard as in their uncooked state.

The flavor sold out within an hour of going on sale online—the equivalent of 6,000 scoops in pints.

Fans commented on how the cheesy powder paired nicely with Van Leeuwen’s standard ice cream base of milk, cream, and sugar.

That’s no surprise to us: We’ve been making cheese ice cream for years (recipes below).

Disappointed you didn’t get to try it? Well, it’s b-a-a-a-a-c-k.

As of 7 o’clock this morning, it was on sale at VanLeeuwenIceCream.com, $12/pint “while supplies last.”

Or, make your own using fine aged Cheddar, with our Cheddar ice cream recipe.
 
 
CHEESE ICE CREAM RECIPES

Here are six of our go-to cheese ice cream recipes—using cheeses more elegant than powdered cheddar.

While Van Leeuwen’s version is sweet, as our most of our lineup.

We have two savory recipes, both made with Parmigiano-Reggiano (parmesan). The one from the brilliant chef Ferran Adrià is such a favorite of ours, that a friend makes it for us every year on our birthday.

Savory cheese ice cream is not a cutting-edge culinary concept. You can find Formaggio Gelato or Formaggio di Parmigiano in older Italian cookbooks.

The cheese ice cream replaced the cheese course at the end of summer lunches. It was also made in a loaf pan, cut in slices and served as a starter with ham and hard-boiled eggs.

We love Ferran Adria’s recipe for savory Parmigiano Reggiano Ice Cream Sandwiches.

You can update the recipe without the tuiles, to a first parfait with prosciutto and melon.

Or, go for a savory cheese course trio of Parmesan, Cheddar and Stilton gelati!

Take your pick: savory and sweet recipes:

 
Enjoy them!
 
________________

*A tuile (TWEEL) is a thin, crisp French wafer, often baked in the shape of an arc. It can be savory or sweet. Tuile is the French word for tile, after the shape of arc-shaped roof tiles that the wafer most often resembles. Almond tuiles are a popular dessert cookie, can be made in dough; You can see a flat tuile in photo #3.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF ICE CREAM
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF MACARONI & CHEESE
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHEESE
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ICE CREAM & FROZEN DESSERTS

International Cabernet Sauvignon Day is held the last Thursday before Labor Day, celebrating a wine that’s one of the world’s most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. “Cab,” for short, is grown in nearly every major wine-producing country. It is the principal grape in most Bordeaux wines, where it is typically blended.

Every year on National Cabernet Sauvignon Day, we try a new vineyard about which we’ve heard good things. This year it’s Ehlers Estate in Napa Valley. Its two 100% Cabernet wines do not disappoint (photos #3 and #4).
 
 
WHAT IS CABERNET SAUVIGNON?

Despite its prominence as the most cultivated wine grape in the world, Cabernet Sauvignon is a relatively new variety (more about in the history of the grape, below).

One reason for its popularity—beyond its deliciousness—is its ease of cultivation. Cab is grown and produced along a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, from Texas to Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley.

The grapes have thick skins. The vines are hardy and naturally low-yielding, which means fewer grapes per cluster and more concentrated juice.

The grapes bud late, which avoids remnant frost from the winter; and are resistant to viticultural hazards such as rot and insects that plague other grape varietals.

Regardless of where it is grown, the wines have a consistent presentation of structure and flavors that immediately signal the typicity of Cabernet Sauvignon (i.e., you know it’s a Cab).

There is one major negative: Cab’s widespread popularity and expansion across the world’s wine regions have made it a “colonizer.” It can take over wine regions at the expense of indigenous grape varieties, which are pulled up to plant Cabernet Sauvignon.
 
 
THE FLAVORS OF CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Classic Cabernet Sauvignons are full-bodied wines with high tannins and good acidity, both of which contribute to the wine’s aging potential.

In cooler climates, Cab tends to produce wines with blackcurrant notes that can be accompanied by notes of cedar, green bell pepper, and mint. The nuances become more pronounced as the wine ages.

In moderate climates, the black currant notes are often combined with flavors of black cherry and black olive.

In hot climates, the currant flavors can become over-ripe and “jammy.” In the Coonawarra wine region of South Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, the wines tend to have characteristic eucalyptus or menthol notes.

Before we focus on the history of Cabernet Sauvignon, let’s start with the other grapes from the area that made Cab famous: the Bordeaux region of southwestern France.
 
 
THE RED WINE GRAPES OF BORDEAUX

There’s great variation in any type of wine, based on the terror in which the grapes are grown. But for Bordeaux, by law, five other grapes can be blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to create the famous “Bordeaux Blend.”

What will be blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, and in what percentage, depends on the grapes in any particular year, as well as the winery’s classic style.

 
THE HISTORY OF CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Until very recently, the origin of Cabernet Sauvignon was not understood.

 
Finally: In the 18th century in the Médoc region of Bordeaux, records indicate that the grape previously called Petite Vidure became more popularly known as Cabernet Sauvignon.

The first estates known to have actively grown grapes they called Cabernet Sauvignon (and likely supplied the vines to other estates) were Château Mouton and Château d’Armailhac, both in Pauillac, a commune (municipality) in the Haut-Médoc.

But it wasn’t until 1996 that the grape’s real origins were discovered via DNA typing. At the University of California’s U.C. Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, testing determined that Cabernet Sauvignon was the offspring of the red Cabernet Franc and the white Sauvignon Blanc.

It was most likely a chance natural crossing that occurred in the 17th century.

In 2016, the scientists at U.C. Davis announced they had sequenced a draft of the whole genome of the grape. Cabernet Sauvignon was the first genome of a commercial wine-producing grape to be sequenced [source].

Back to the 18th century: From France, the grape spread across Europe and to the New World and Oceania, and today is planted in significant amounts in:

 
For most of the 20th century, Cabernet Sauvignon was the world’s most widely planted premium red wine grape; it was surpassed by Merlot in the 1990s.

However, it regained the crown in 2015: Cabernet Sauvignon had once again become the most widely planted red wine grape worldwide.
 
 
CLASSIC FOOD PAIRINGS WITH CABERNET SAUVIGNON

The intense, bold flavors of Cabernet Sauvignon pair best with heartier and richer foods. That’s why steak and lamb are the two foods most often mentioned. But here’s a lengthier lineup.

[1] Cabernet Sauvignon grapes growing high atop the cool Santa Cruz Mountains of California (photo © Ridge Vineyards).

[2] Cabernet Sauvignon grapes ripening on the vine (photo © Jeremy Lwanga | Unsplash).

[3] Celebrate National Cabernet Sauvignon Day by trying something new. We tried the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from Ehlers Estate in Napa Valley, along with a second Ehlers Cabernet. Enjoyable now, this Cab will age well for 15-20 more years (photos #3 and #4 © Ehlers Estate.

[4] 2018 Ehlers Estate Jean Leducq Cabernet Sauvignon, has a big, bold character: expressive fruit and firm tannins. The wine is made from a single block of grapes, especially chosen for this signature wine. Only a few hundred cases are made per vintage, as opposed to a few thousand of the Cab above.

[5] Grilled beef and Cab are a perfect pairing. Most connoisseurs choose ribeye, but we prefer the tenderness of filet mignon (photo © Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse).

[6] A roast leg of lamb or lamb chops are another match made in Cabernet Sauvignon heaven (photo © DeLallo).

[7] Enjoy your favorite blue with a glass of Cab. Figs, grapes and walnuts (photo © Alex 9500 | Panther Media)./font>

*The world’s largest planted wine grapes, including red and white, are Cabernet Sauvignon, 840,000 acres (340,000 hectares); Merlot, 657,300 acres (266,000 hectares); Tempranillo, 570,800 acres (231,000 hectares); Airén, 538 700 acres (218 000 hectares); Chardonnay, 518,900 acres (211,000 hectares); Syrah, 470 000 acres (190,000 hectares); Grenache Noir, 402,780 acres (163,000 hectares); Sauvignon Blanc, 299 000 acres (121,000 hectares); Pinot Noir, 285,000 acres (115,000 hectares); Trebbiano Toscano / Ugni Blanc, 274,300 acres (111,000 hectares). Airén is a white grape that is very popular in Spain, often for unpretentious wines [source]. Cab is also planted in Italy, and there are nine distinct regions in China, accounting for roughly 70% of China’s wine-producing vines [source].

†The five principal red grapes of Bordeaux are Cabernet Sauvignon plus Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, and Petit Verdot; a sixth, Carmenère, is also used. Each grape has a different purpose in the blend. Cabernet Franc and Merlot are the two largest “blenders” in a Cab blend, with smaller amounts of Carmenère, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. The Bordeaux red blend is celebrated for producing majestic wines, capable of aging for 20 to 30 years. These wines tend to be full-bodied, with tart black currant and violet notes from the grape, and cedar and cigar box notes from French oak aging. They provide fine examples of how an Old World Cabernet Sauvignon should smell and taste [source].

‡ Prior to this discovery, earlier in the 20th century, this relationship had been suspected based on the similarity of the grapes’ names and the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon shares similar aromas with both grapes (the blackcurrant and pencil box aromas of Cabernet Franc and the grassiness of Sauvignon Blanc.