Coconut water is a refreshing natural drink. It contains sugar, fiber, proteins, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It can provide an isotonic electrolyte balance, when drunk.

It is consumed as a refreshing drink throughout the humid tropics and is gaining popularity as an isotonic sports drink.

Mature fruits have significantly less liquid than young immature coconuts, barring spoilage. Coconut water can be fermented to produce coconut vinegar.

Coconut milk

Coconut milk, is obtained by passing hot water or milk through grated coconut, which extracts the oil and aromatic compounds.

When refrigerated and left to set, coconut cream will rise to the top and separate from the milk.

The milk can be used to produce virgin coconut oil by controlled heating and removal of the oil fraction.

Toddy and nectar

The sap derived from incising the flower clusters of the coconut is drunk as toddy or tuba (Philippines), tuak (Indonesia and Malaysia)

When left to ferment on its own it becomes Palm wine which is distilled to produce arrack. In the Philippines this alcoholic drink is called “coconut vodka”.

The sap can be reduced by boiling to create a sweet syrup or candy and palm sugar.

A young well-maintained tree can produce around 300 liters of toddy per year while a forty year old tree may yield around 400 liters.

Heart of palm and coconut sprout

Apical buds of adult plants are edible, and are known as “palm cabbage” or “heart of palm”. They are considered a rare delicacy, as harvesting the buds kills the palms.

Hearts of palm are eaten in the “millionaire’s salad”. Newly germinated coconuts contain an edible fluff of marshmallow-like consistency called coconut sprout.