SC - almond milk

[Decker, Terry D.]

> Interesting.  This is the same method one uses in Brazil (that again)
> to get coconut milk that they cook with extensively.  And the recipe
> calls specifically for thick milk (first squeezing) or thin milk
> (second squeezing).  I wonder when that practice started?  They
> certainly came in contact with coconuts fairly early, didn't they? 
> Bear?  (here I am with no appreciable library, and my spouting is
> running away with me.  I was happier under the rock with the guava
> paste and the delightful biscuits that margali always has on hand)
> 
> Tyrca
> 
>From a quick check, coconuts are native to all the tropic regions of the
Pacific, and the point of origin has never been determined.

They make an appearance in Egypt about the 6th Century C.E., then make no
impact on the Mediterranean world until the end of the 17th century.  Marco
Polo mentions them as being cut open for food and drink, but makes no
mention of processing.  The references I have for processing coconuts date
commercial processing in the late 19th Century and don't mention the
techniques.

While the coconut was in South America early on, I think it is likely that
the coconut was introduced into Brazil by the Portuguese through trade with
the Spanish and the processing of coconut got started to compete with the
American coconut industry.

The quality of the answer suggests that further research needs to be
undertaken.

Bear
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