The fine pair in the picture were bobbing alongside Adriana as we waited out a cold front anchored off Puerto Patillas on the south coast of Puerto Rico. We’d been stuck there for a couple of days and the appearance of the coconuts was a very welcome diversion.
I set about cracking these two open with hammer and chisel. I’m sure the south sea islanders have a more efficient technique than the one I adopted but eventually I’d hacked off the outer coir, punched out the eyes, drained the milk into a jar and smashed the nuts into manageable pieces.
The tasty, pleasantly sweet, meat of the coconut is lower in sugar and higher in protein than other popular fruit, although it’s high in saturated fat. The coconut milk is a pleasant and refreshing drink and, more importantly, forms the basis for that excellent rum cocktail, the Piña Colada.
In Boquerón you can enjoy this pleasant concoction whilst you browse the small supermercado situated a short stroll from the beach. The owner of the shop declares in large letters on his wall that he is the King of the Piña Colada! Well, senor, I can tell you that yours weren’t a patch on the jug-full we had in that rolly anchorage off Puerto Patillas.
I’m definitely a coconut man!
