Macapuno coconut is a specialty only in Tra Vinh, because it cannot be propagated in many other areas, that characteristic is also one of the conditions that make the price of wax coconut quite expensive.
By Thomas Vietnam at vemekong.com | All Best Foods & Restaurants in Tra Vinh
1. Better to Know as a Food Lover
Find them: Tra Vinh city.
Best time: Dusk-Dawn
Don’t miss: Macapuno coconut
Local’s pick: Cau ke Macapuno coconut shop
Tourist’s pick: Market in Tra Vinh
Blog:
Facts: Macapuno coconut is a common name, also known as creamy coconut, condensed coconut. The name also clearly shows the characteristics of this type of coconut with the thick, dense, flexible, and fatty taste compared to regular coconut.
2. Better to Know Macapuno coconut
Wax coconut appeared in the 1960s, this coconut variety is the only specialty in Tra Vinh, Mekong Delta Vietnam, which is famous for many delicious and attractive coconuts. Due to genetic mutations or climatic conditions as well as soil of this land create a strange waxy coconut variety, especially in this area of the province.
In macapuno coconut trees, only macapuno coconuts have the ability to create embryos, sprouts, and dreams and are selected as seed macapuno coconuts, while waxy fruits cannot be seeded. In addition, the sweet, greasy taste with the thick, sweet coconut water and high nutritional value makes anyone who has tried it, also extremely loved. A special feature of this type of coconut is the rarity “you can’t buy it with money”, because each coconut chamber has only about 2-3 waxed coconuts, the quantity is not enough to supply to the market.
3. Macapuno coconut in Tra Vinh
The effect of Macapuno coconut
Wax coconuts are popular not only because of their delicious taste but also because of their very high nutrient content. Helps to supplement important and necessary substances for the body, enhancing the health of the user. And here are some nutritional values of coconut wax:
Helps cool down
Macapuno coconut can be processed into many delicious and attractive foods with high nutritional value. It helps people to cool down and relax on hot summer days.
Coconut wax is good for the digestive system
When eating this type of coconut will help purify the body, diuretic and detoxify the body. The high fiber content in coconut along with its heat-clearing properties helps the body to colonize. Improve the health of the digestive system and blood circulation in the body.
Boosts Heart Health
Macapuno Coconut contains up to 50% lauric acid, which reduces arteriosclerosis and is good for the heart. In addition, coconut wax also helps kill bacteria and prevent diseases caused by viruses.
Treatment of itchy rash
As is known, the fleshy part of coconut is good for the digestive system and cures some stomach diseases. Besides, coconut shells can also treat some rashes and ringworm.
Helps cure joint pain
Joint pain is a common problem in the elderly. They often have to face many problems in life when suffering from this disease. And according to studies, it is a natural food that helps reduce pain and effectively treat joint pain.
Macapuno coconut has the effect of losing weight
This type of coconut helps to reduce bad cholesterol in the body and blood. It also contains a lot of lauric acid, which reduces blood fat, helping to lose weight quickly.
Beneficial for the skin
Macapuno coconut contains many antioxidants that help prevent the aging process. Lotion in coconut helps to tighten facial skin, create smoothness and prevent skin diseases such as fungus, acne, etc. Therefore, it is often made into many products for beauty care.
4. How to Make Food from Macapuno coconut
4 ways to prepare macapuno coconut
Macapuno Coconut Smoothie
When it comes to macapuno coconut, people will immediately think of macapuno coconut smoothie. This is a simple and familiar recipe
belongs to most of us.
Method: Use Macapuno coconut mixed with shaved ice, a little sugar, a little milk in a blender. Puree and chop into the cup. You can add a little fruit syrup or a few slices of strawberry to decorate and refresh the coconut wax smoothie.
Macapuno Coconut Smoothie is the most delicious nutritious drink made from this coconut. The greasy taste of coconut milk
It is melted with fine shaved ice right in the mouth for a special strange feeling.
Macapuno coconut with iced milk
A simpler way to make macapuno coconut is iced milk shake.
Method: Take 1/3 cup of coconut rice. 1/3 shaved ice. Add a little more milk, depending on how you like it sweeter or less. Then mix even. You can add crunchy roasted peanuts to enhance the taste of this dish.
The fatty taste of waxy coconut mixed with the fleshy taste of peanuts will help you have a new recipe when processing coconut
Macapuno coconut mixed with sugar
With this approach. You won’t need a lot of ingredients and it’s easy to make.
How to do: Just scrape the macapuno coconut and coconut water left in the fruit into a glass. Then add some sugar
Then put it in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Then take it out and enjoy your work.
Macapuno coconut fruit pickled
We can blend smoothies, iced milk, macapuno coconut mixed with sugar… but to add a unique and strange feature, the dish Coconut fruit can be considered as one of the most delicious, unique and strange dishes. Why this dish is considered the most unique and strange because each of us can process it according to our preferences.
How to cook: Grate thin or thick macapuno coconut depending on our preferences, then we choose some fruits that we like such as strawberries, jackfruit, custard apple, durian, Sa Bo Che, … sharp and small pieces. Serve in a glass or plate.
Then add a little sugar, a little milk and put crushed ice or crushed ice on top with a little peanut. Finally, we can enjoy delicious macapuno coconut fruit jam.
5. Pro tips:
Here are our tips for easing your mind (and stomach) around food-handling environments that you may not be used to.
Make sure the food is freshly cooked. If you’re eating hot street food, it’s always safest (not to mention more delicious) to eat food you can see being cooked to order.
Look for lines and busy stalls. Busy street food stalls are an indicator of popularity, and their high turnover rate means the food is never sitting out for hours and developing dreaded bacteria. Yes, long lines can be discouraging when you’re hungry after a full day of exploring, but it’s not worth the risk of grabbing precooked food from the empty spot next door.
Eat when the locals are eating. The last and most important element here is when to eat. You’re likely already on a weird eating schedule while you’re traveling, but it’s important to try and adjust to the eating times of where you are. A bowl of pho might be lunch for Americans, but it’s breakfast for the Vietnamese. This ensures that you’re eating freshly cooked food and that you can find the best and most popular places to eat.
If you can’t drink the water, then you can’t eat the salad. Most people get so hung up on not drinking the water or skipping ice in drinks that they don’t think about all of the other ways in which water is used in food service. Fruits and vegetables tend to be washed with tap water in most places, rather than the filtered water that locals drink—or sometimes it’s not washed at all. If you’re really craving some produce, try fruits you can peel or cooked veggies.
Trust your gut. If you’re unsure about the food or the way that it’s being prepared, then keep moving. Eating street food all over the world doesn’t make you an expert. Every stall and every country are different, and sometimes the rules can be harder to follow. When something doesn’t look, smell, or feel right, don’t eat it! Trust your judgment. Chances are that there’s another spot close by that’s making something more delicious.
Must-Eat Foods & Restaurants in Can Tho: Co Ut’s Cong cake, Ut Dzach Fine Rice Vermicelli, Thanh Van Grilled Pork Sausage, Crab Noodle Soup At Floating Market, Scorched Rice with Caramelized Fish Sauce, 7-Toi’s Duck Meat Pancake, Banh Mi Thuy, Banana Blossom Salad, Fried Spring Rolls, Fresh Spring Rolls, Fetal duck egg (balut), Honeycomb Cake, Mini Sticky Rice Cake, Cassava Silkworm Cake, Grilled Banana Wrapped in Sticky Rice, Khmer-style Bun Goi Da Soup, Egg Coffee, Con Son Grilled Snakehead Fish, Bun Mam – Fermented Fish Noodle Soup, Lau Mam – Fermented Fish Hotpot, Grilled Snails with Pepper, Magenta Sticky Rice Cake, Duck cooked with Fermented Tofu, Rice Noodle Pizza, Vegetarian Noodle Soup, Snails Stuffed With Pork…
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Must-Eat Foods & Restaurants in Soc Trang: Pia Cake, Cong Cake (Banh Cong), Bun Nuoc Leo Soc Trang’s Noodle Soup, Soc Trang’s Bun Goi Da Soup, Duck Noodle Soup with black Pepper, Curry Noodle Soup, Grilled Beef on Tile, Khmer-style Tube Cake, Khmer-style Mung Bean Cake (Banh In), Dried Radish (Xa Bau), Stir-Fried Noodles with Seafood (Mi Sua), Soc Trang’s Green Rice Flakes…
Must-Eat Foods & Restaurants in Ben Tre: Phu Le Rice Wine, Ben Tre’s Coconut Candy, Flat Banana, Coconut Rice, Snail Pancake, Sea Snail with Coconut Milk, Coconut Worm, Young Coconut Salad with Shrimp & Pork, Son Doc Puff Rice Paper…
Must-Eat Foods & Restaurants in Cai Be: Puffed Rice Cake…
Must-Eat Foods & Restaurants in Vinh Long: Elephant Ear Fish (fried giant gourami)…
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Must-Eat Foods & Restaurants in Tra Vinh: Macapuno Coconut, Bun Nuoc Leo Tra Vinh’s Noodle Soup, Tra Cuon’s Sticky Rice Cake…
Must-Eat Foods & Restaurants in Sadec: Sa Dec Noodle Soup, Sadec Crab Hotpot, Lai Vung Spring Rolls, Sa Giang Shrimp Puff Pastry, Lai Vung Tangerine…
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Must-Eat Foods & Restaurants in Phu Quoc: Phu Quoc Sim Wine, Phu Quoc Pepper, Phu Quoc fish sauce…
Hopefully, the above tips will help you to come up with a great plan for your adventure in Mekong River Delta, Vietnam. Have a safe trip!
“Sleep less, travel more, respect more” – Thomas Vietnam – Local travel expert.
Thank you