How to add fizz to tender coconut water

As a child, this question from the neighbourhood tender coconut vendor always left me puzzled. How did they know what was inside—just water or water with malai? And if there was malai, would it be delicate, jiggly pudding-like or the thicker, almost mature coconut flesh?

- NANDITA IYER

aunsa chahiye—pani wala ya malai wala (Which do you want—just water or water as well as coconut flesh)?"

They had their ways, of course. A swift slice of the outer husk turned into a biodegradable scoop and you could sit on a makeshift bench, leisurely scraping out the malai, rehydrating yourself while getting a dose of healthy fats.

A few months ago, after a long sun-soaked walk in Goa, I stopped for a tender coconut. ₹90 for a small one came as a shocker. When I asked if these were grown locally, the vendor said Goa's coconuts are mostly used for oil extraction, so the tender coconuts come from Karnataka, making them expensive.

I was six when my aunt went to Bordi, a coastal village in Palghar in Maharashtra, for a bank training programme. She sent me a postcard with a drawing of a coconut tree bending cinematically into the waters. In her note, she wrote that the tender coconuts were massive and cost only 50 paise.

I'm amused at how, despite my hazy childhood memories, I recalled the price of nariyal paani from over four decades ago and shared that with my son. Am I turning into my grandparents, who often reminisced, "Enga kaalathula idhu 10 paisa dhaan (Back in our days, this used to cost just 10 paise)."

Curious to know if the Goan vendor's claim held water, I looked into it. Turns out he was right. Some of the reasons for the increasing prices of this staple drink across India are declining coconut cultivation and the higher demand for mature coconuts.

With the edible oil industry booming, more coconuts are diverted for oil extraction rather than being sold as tender coconut water.