Exotic fruits have always aroused interest in their extraordinary appearance and uncharted taste. Especially a lot of questions arise about coconut. The main one is: "Is coconut a fruit or a nut?" The answer interests many lovers of goodies. And each of them puts forward its own version, which is often incorrect. What coconut is, we will try to find out. But no matter what category he belongs to, it can be said with confidence that this fruit is incredibly tasty and healthy. It is widely used in cooking, and many flavored drinks are prepared on the basis of the liquid extracted from it.
The answer to an intriguing question and product structure
Is coconut a fruit or a nut? This is a sacramental question, the answer to which many people want to know. This fruit cannot be called either one or the other. If people call coconut a nut, they make a huge mistake. In fact, it is a drupe or stone fruit like apricot, plum or peach.
Answer the question "What is coconut - is it a fruit or a nut?" in another way: this is a lobate angiosperm plant belonging to the Palm family. Drupe length reaches 30 centimeters, it has a round shape and can weigh up to 2.5 kilograms.
Having studied the features of the fetus more carefully, we can say that it refers to the genus and species of Cocos. Thus, we have a unique and unique edible product that cannot be called either nut, berry, or fruit. The most appropriate name would still be drupe.
The product has the following structure:
- Exocarp is the outer shell penetrated by fibers (coir).
- Endocarp is an inner shell, which is a hard shell with a seed hiding inside. It includes drupe pulp (white copra) and endosperm, which is popularly called coconut water.
Calorie content of the dish and its composition
We have already described what coconut is. This is a fruit or nut, we have already found out and determined that it is neither one nor the other. But since many gourmets love drupe, they will probably want to get information about its calorie content. Especially this information will be useful to women who are always watching their figure. So, one hundred grams of coconut pulp contains 360 kilocalories. The water available in drupes, on the contrary, is almost non-nutritive, despite its natural sweetness and rehydrating qualities. Coconut milk is able to best restore the water balance in the human body.
If you use coconut (it is a fruit, or a nut, or a berry, explained above), then you can get better, but you should not deny yourself such a treat. Just enjoy it better occasionally and preferably in small quantities.
The white pulp of the product is characterized by the presence of a huge amount of fiber and saturated fat. It contains protein. In addition to category B vitamins, drupe has folic, ascorbic and pantothenic acids.
What is useful drupe
Having figured out exactly what the coconut is, is it a fruit or a nut, I would like to know about its positive effect on the body. Useful properties are possessed not only by the pulp, but also by milk and oil of drupes. All these products are distinguished by anthelmintic, antiviral, wound healing and antimicrobial qualities.
Positive features of the fetus have a beneficial effect on male and female health. Since coconut is a powerful aphrodisiac, it is able to increase sexual desire. This delicacy contains a huge amount of B vitamins, and therefore it is incredibly useful for the cardiovascular system and eye health. The use of drupes can reduce blood cholesterol, normalize the functioning of the thyroid gland, and reduce the risk of developing illnesses such as diarrhea, cancer and acute respiratory infections.
Coconut is an excellent tool to strengthen the immune system, and it also perfectly restores energy and strength after heavy loads of a mental and physical nature.
Choose a treat
Coconut, the description, composition and benefits of which are presented in the article, you need to be able to choose the right one so that the fruit is really tasty. When buying a product, pay attention to even the smallest cracks on it. If they are found, then it is better not to acquire such a drupe, since most of the liquid poured out of it during transportation. If the product is good, then the buyer will clearly hear how milk splashes in it.
How to open
Besides the fact that you need to find out what a coconut is - a fruit or a nut (general information on this topic is given at the beginning of the article), you also need to learn how to open a drupe. To do this, you need a narrow knife and a hammer. The first tool should pierce a hole in one of the three recesses located at the top of the fetus. After that, you will need to drain the milk into the container, and then hit with a hammer where the "golden section" is located (a third of the distance from the recesses). You will have to stick a knife into the crack that has formed and put a little pressure on it: the fruit will crack and open easily.