Nata de Coco (a Very Odd Food)

i know i have written about this before, but i think now that i have photos it deserves another mention. this is nata de coco, possibly the strangest food on the planet. these little cubes are translucent, opalescent, and depending on how you bite them, strangely chewy or explosively juicy.

i first tasted nata de coco in japan, where i assumed due to being unable to read the package that it was some type of strange fruit. years later, i found a can in my asian grocery store. apparently it is fermented coconut water (although the taste is amazingly light and sweet for a fermented food), and a traditional food of the phillipines. it is now used in a variety of asian foods, from thai or vietnamese sweet coconut soup to japanese or chinese shaved ice sundaes.

i would love to try to make some, partly because i'm sick of these tiny cubes and would like to bite into a chunk of nata de coco about the size of my fist. unfortunately i've been completely unable to find any recipes or sources for the culture involved, which is probably the secret because my can lists the ingredients as coconut water gel, sugar and citric acid. i try to force this food on people pretty much every chance i get, because it is so weird and, i think, good. if your asian grocery store is open, you should go get some right now (get the plain flavor unless you like fake fruit).