Nuts
Part 3
by Thomas Wenger

Step by Step
An Exceptionally Fine
Astrology Ezine
A Premium Members
Subscription Feature
Step by Step is a serious, detailed Astrology Ezine -- definitely not
"for entertainment only."
It tracks the current events of daily life as seen by an astrologer with more than 30 years' experience.
Don't expect the usual sappy, happy pap of the "daily horoscope" found on most websites and newspapers.
Step by Step talks about the subtle shifts and changes of daily life as well as the rare monumental events.
Step by Step is a meaty, revealing look at your changing world, delivered "almost daily" to your e-mail. Expect it 4 to 6 times a week as celestial events occur.

Get the information you need.
Discover the difference knowledge and preparation can make in your life!
Join our
Astrology and Tarot
Premium
Membership
today!!

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
The fruit of the palm 'cocos nucifera' has an edible kernel and therefore qualifies as a nut. The palm tree is native to the Philippines, Malaysia, Brazil and Indonesia, and can produce 50 - 100 nuts a year, over a life span of 70 years. Coconut palms grow best close to the seaside but have been proven to withstand high altitude, although the production rate is diminishing as further away from the sea the tree grows.
The large thick green pod encloses a brown fibrous husk around a brown shell , which contains a layer of soft white flesh and the clear water in the center. Sub-species found only on one island of the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean, produces a nut often weighing more than 20 kg, which needs 10 years to ripen.
Coconuts are the worlds most commercially used nuts. Especially the meat, or copra, as it is called after sun drying, is vital for the export industries, in coconut growing countries. The coconut is a important food source especially in South East Asia, India, Brazil and the South Pacific Islands.
The copra can be brought shredded or desiccated and is used in confectioneries, ice creams and to coat chicken or fish for frying. However much of it is pressed for its oil also called coconut butter as it is white and fatty at room temperature. Not only is it used for cooking and to make margarine, but it also goes into soaps, detergents, shampoos, face cream, perfumes and candles.
It is also a major ingredient in glycerin, synthetic rubber, safety glass and hydraulic brake fluid. Coconut juice or milk is the natural juice of the nut, but not the water inside the coconut. It is won by shredding the raw coconut meat, then adding water and straining the mixture through a cotton cloth. The coconut milk has then the consistency and color of skim milk and is available canned or frozen.
CANDLE NUT
The candle nut gets her name, from when threaded tightly on the midrib of a palm leaf it has been used a primitive candle. More recently, the nuts were grounded to a paste, mixed with copra (grated coconut meat) and ten formed into a candle.
Candlenuts are the seed of the candle berry tree native to Indonesia and Malaysia but widely spread throughout south East Asia, the South Pacific and Sri Lanka.
The nut has a very high content on fat and is valued for the extracted oil for lighting as well as cooking. The nut is colored gray to black, about 5cm in diameter, with a thin, papery husk containing one or two nuts.
Candlenut oil for lighting purposes is extracted by roasting the nuts when they are only half ripe as oil for cooking is extracted by roasting the nuts when they are fully ripe. For human consumption, the nuts have to be roasted as raw once have been causing sicknesses.
Ripe candle nuts are roasted, then pounded into a meal and mixed with salt, chilies or shrimp paste for usage in curries or as a spicy condiment to curries. Traditionally, the Javanese have roasted the nuts for eating in the whole.

Thomas Wenger is a Chef and Author his career has spanned the globe for the past 25 years. His keen interest in regional Asian cuisines, cultures and traditional cooking techniques, combined with his background of a traditional continental European culinary training, define his cooking style and cuisine today.
Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7