Cocada de forno
Golden confection of grated coconut set in a sugar syrup, flavored with clove, cooked until compact and melting. It keeps for several days, perfect for the road.
Golden confection of grated coconut set in a sugar syrup, flavored with clove, cooked until compact and melting. It keeps for several days, perfect for the road.
Doçura, minha gente! *Cocada* is the sun of Bahia turned into sugar. We grate the coconut, marry it with sugar in the copper *tacho* until the whole street smells good. As a child, I'd give my coins to the *doceira* and leave with that little sticky square that lasted the whole way to school. It's a sweetness that travels, that keeps, that consoles.
- •Fresh grated coconut — flesh of one large coconut (base)
- •Sugar — as much as coconut (binder and preservation)
- •Clove — a few (flavor)
- •Water — a little (syrup)
Cocada de forno
Golden confection of grated coconut set in a sugar syrup, flavored with clove, cooked until compact and melting. It keeps for several days, perfect for the road.
Why this dish? A small coconut sweet that keeps and travels, sold on street corners in Salvador like *acarajé*. A Bahian childhood treat that Gil found on every *tabuleiro* in his city.
Doçura, minha gente! *Cocada* is the sun of Bahia turned into sugar. We grate the coconut, marry it with sugar in the copper *tacho* until the whole street smells good. As a child, I'd give my coins to the *doceira* and leave with that little sticky square that lasted the whole way to school. It's a sweetness that travels, that keeps, that consoles.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh grated coconut — flesh of one large coconut (base)
- Sugar — as much as coconut (binder and preservation)
- Clove — a few (flavor)
- Water — a little (syrup)
Ingredients
- Fresh grated coconut — 300 g (base)
- Sugar — 300 g (binder and preservation)
- Coconut milk — 100 ml (creaminess)
- Clove — 3-4 (flavor)
- Water — 100 ml (initial syrup)
Method
- Make a syrup with the sugar, water, and cloves, until it begins to thicken.
- Add the grated coconut and coconut milk, stirring constantly over medium heat.
- Cook until the mixture pulls away from the bottom of the pan and turns golden.
- Drop spoonfuls onto parchment paper (or spread and cut into squares) and let cool and harden.
- Store in an airtight container; it keeps for several days.
How it was made : *Cocadas* were born from the encounter of Portuguese sugar-making know-how (heritage of the convents) and the abundant coconut on the coast of the Northeast, worked by cooks of African descent. Sold on the street for centuries, they exist in white, golden (with burnt sugar), or baked versions.
The contemporary twist : An oven-baked *cocada* shaped into small domes sprinkled with lime zest, like a mignardise to end a meal.
Gilberto Gil · Charactorium
