Coconut water and coconut juice

[Kanga Japan]

Are the Thai words for COCONUT WATER (pure water from the coconut) and COCONUT JUICE (coconut water, sometimes with preservatives, sugar and water added) the same?

[Kanga Japan]

Can anyone provide me with information on my COCONUT WATER/COCONUT JUICE post?

Thanks for your help.

[cooked]

Maybe you should start off on the Thai language forum, my wife only knows "coconut water''. We don't know what coconut juice is, I sometimes see coconuts with a straw to drink the liquid, these may contain some sugar. Not an issue for us as we have our own coconuts.

Are you buying something called coconut juice?

[Sandman77]

The coconut choice you can buy in the shop , for me not delicious , I cannot drink!

In some parts of Thailand , the coconut will burned in fire , also in Laos!

Then taste is diffrent, some like some not!

Brown smaller coconuts have a diffrent taste, then the young green ones!

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Gratee, coconut juice, is supposedly made from pressing the coconut meat.

Nam Maprow, coconut water, is the milk from the middle of the coconut.

I had always assumed Gratee and Nam Maprow were the same, but apparently they're not.

Edited June 15, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican

[Kanga Japan]

Dear cooked, Sandman77 and AnotherOneAmerican,

Thank you all for your information. I do buy coconut water here in Japan, which is imported from Thailand and is 100% coconut water - the clear liquid inside the coconut. Seeing a coconut in Japan is very rare, therefore juice bars do not sell anything called 'coconut juice'.

Obviously, if you buy a drink served in the coconut, it would be 100% coconut water, but I am wondering if in Thailand, when they serve something called 'coconut juice' at drink bars, coffee shops, etc. would it always be the pure coconut water, or something else? I realize that this would differ from shop to shop, but I am just wondering if there is some way of distinguishing the difference between the pure water and a mixed coconut drink.

Regarding AnotherOneAmerican's comment that he/she always thought that GRATEE (KATHI?) and NAM MAPRAO were the same thing, I was under the impression that KATHI meant coconut milk (the milk from the coconut pulp).

I will try and look up some Thai shops selling coconut juice and see if I can clarify things further.

Thank you for your help.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Here we go,

"Coconut milk or 'gratee' is traditionally made by mixing the grated meat of a ripe coconut with warm water and then squeezing out the juice."

IMHO the name coconut milk is a mistake, in reality gratee appears to be coconut flavoured water.

A lot of Thai/English translations are imprecise as the Thai probably doesn't know the difference between the English words and the English speaker doesn't know the precise meaning of the Thai words.

For example, asking for Nam Som is in reality requesting an orange flavoured drink (you could be given a Fanta), but the English speaker often assumes they are asking for orange juice (Nam Som Sot)

Edited June 15, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican

[Kanga Japan]

OK. Here we go again.

I am fully aware that GRATEE (or KATHI) is made by mixing the grated meat of a ripe coconut with warm water and then squeezing out the juice, but this is called coconut milk, not coconut juice.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

OK. Here we go again.

I am fully aware that GRATEE (or KATHI) is made by mixing the grated meat of a ripe coconut with warm water and then squeezing out the juice, but this is called coconut milk, not coconut juice.

Juice is squeezed from a fruit.

Oil is squeezed from a nut.

Milk is squeezed from a mammal.

Surely that means you can't get juice (or milk) from a coconut!

I think the Thais have it right with Nam Maprow and Gratee.

Edited June 15, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican

[Kanga Japan]

Dear AnotherOneAmerican,

I don't think you are fully understanding my query.

Again, GRATEE (KATHI), or NAM GRATEE (NAM KATHI) - the grated compressed flesh of the coconut mixed with water - is coconut milk or coconut cream (depending on whether it is the first, second or third pressing) and cannot be referred to as coconut water.

I have found a site, which is very helpful:

http://fic.nfi.or.th/food/upload/pdf/17_1585.pdf

Thank you for your help.

[Sandman77]

It's defently more added on factory juice in Thailand , then only preservatives

I recommend you import fresh coconut juice from Europe !

When I drink at home coconut drinks from fresh virgin coconuts are very tasty it's one world to another!

Thai company's cannot make good industry produced fruit juice

Makes cheating you less fruit much sugar!

Coconut juice from store I got quickly a nausea here!

[Kanga Japan]

Thanks Sandman77,

I appreciate your opinion and am sorry you had a bad experience drinking local store-bought coconut water.

Still, I guess that there are many brands and as Japanese import restrictions are very strict, only the best types are imported. The coconut water I buy here tastes good and has no added sugar.

Thanks for your suggestion/warning.

[Kanga Japan]

Dear makpeeter,

Actually, coconut water is normally the water from inside the coconut and coconut juice can be the same thing, or a drink made from coconut milk or some other combination - depending on the seller.

Thank you for your comments.