Shredded coconut is the white flesh of a mature coconut, grated or cut into thin strands. It can be used fresh, as is common in Thai desserts, or dried (desiccated) so it keeps much longer. Its texture ranges from soft and moist when fresh to light and chewy when dried.
It brings a mild natural sweetness, a pleasant bite and the rich aroma of coconut oil. In Thai sweets it is often cooked with sugar into a filling or paired with savoury ingredients for a sweet-salty contrast. On the Thai Crepe, Khanom Buang reviewed here it appears with salty shrimp, egg threads and raisins on a crisp rice-flour crepe, a classic Thai street dessert.
Coconut is high in saturated fat. It is not listed among the major allergens in Codex or EU labelling rules, although allergy to coconut does occur in a small number of people.
