The Joyofbaking.com website tells us the cake was named
after German's Sweet Chocolate, which is a dark baking chocolate created by the
Walter Baker & Company. Samuel German an employee developed the chocolate
in 1852. The origin of German Chocolate Cake is hard to pinpoint---all we do
know is it’s all American. “Richard Sax in Classic Home Desserts says this cake
was being made in the 1920's and eventually became popular nationwide after a
recipe appeared in a 1957 food column of a Dallas newspaper.”
The scientific name for coconut is Cocos nucifera. Because
the hairy nut seems to have eyes and resembles the head and face of a monkey,
early Spanish explorers called it coco, or "monkey face". Coconut
contains a nutritious white meat, juice, milk, and oil that has been staple
food for populations around the world for generations. A third of the world's
people depend on coconut for food.
Coconut is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins,
and minerals and is classified as a "functional food" since it
provides many health benefits. Coconut oil has healing properties and is used
in traditional medicine among Asian and Pacific populations. Coconut oil is
considered curative for all illness by Pacific Islanders. The indigenous people
call the coconut palm "The Tree of Life."
For thousands of years coconut has been valued and used in
local folk medicine. Traditional medicine around the world has used coconut to
treat a wide variety of health problems including abscesses, asthma, baldness,
bronchitis, bruises, burns, colds, constipation, cough, dropsy, dysentery,
earache, fever, flu, gingivitis, gonorrhea, irregular or painful menstruation,
jaundice, kidney stones, lice, malnutrition, nausea, rash, scabies, scurvy,
skin infections, sore throat, swelling, syphilis, toothache, tuberculosis,
tumors, typhoid, ulcers, upset stomach, weakness, and wounds. Medical science
research is now confirming the use of coconut in treating many of the above
conditions.
Medical journals report that various forms of coconut,
demonstrate a wide range of health benefits:
Kills viruses
Kills bacteria
Kills fungi and yeasts
Expels or kills tapeworms and other parasites
Provides quick energy and endurance
Enhancing physical and athletic performance
Improves digestion and absorption of other nutrients
Improves insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose
Relieves stress on pancreas
Helps protect against osteoporosis.
Helps relieve symptoms associated with gallbladder disease.
Relieves symptoms associated with Crohn's disease,
ulcerative colitis, stomach ulcers.
Reduces inflammation.
Supports tissue healing and repair.
Supports and aids immune system function
Helps protect the body from breast, colon, and other
cancers.
Is heart healthy; improves cholesterol ratio reducing risk
of heart disease.
Protects arteries from injury that causes atherosclerosis
and thus protects against heart disease.
Helps prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay.
Functions as a protective antioxidant.
Helps to protect the body from harmful free radicals that
promote premature aging and degenerative disease.
Dissolves kidney stones.
Supports thyroid function.
Promotes loss of excess weight
Applied Topically:
Form a chemical barrier on the skin to ward of infection.
Reduces symptoms associated the psoriasis, eczema, and
dermatitis.
Supports the natural chemical balance of the skin.
Softens skin and helps relieve dryness and flaking.
Prevents wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots.
Promotes healthy looking hair and complexion
Provides protection from damaging effects of ultraviolet
radiation from the sun.
Helps control dandruff
Pure virgin coconut oil does not need hydrogenation---the
process of adding hydrogen to make a liquid fat hard. It is 92% saturated fat.
Unlike animal fats, tropical oils -- palm, palm kernel, and coconut oils -- are
saturated fats that are called oils.
Depending on room temperature they can be solid, semi-solid, or liquid.
Like all fats, coconut oil is a blend of fatty acids.
Coconut oil contains an unusual blend of short and medium chain fatty acids,
primarily lauric (44%) and myristic (16.8%) acids. It is this unusual
composition of short and medium chain fatty acids that offers some health
benefits.
Dr. Mehmet Oz tells us "It has been shown that lauric
acid [in coconut] increases the good HDL cholesterol in the blood to help
improve cholesterol ratio levels. Coconut oil lowers cholesterol by
promoting its conversion to pregnenolone, a molecule that is a precursor to
many of the hormones our bodies need. Coconut can help restore normal thyroid
function. When the thyroid does not function optimally, it can contribute to
higher levels of bad cholesterol.”
Linoleic acid makes up the polyunsaturated fat content of
coconut oil. Linoleic acid is an essential fatty acid, which the body is unable
to make. Essential fatty acids must come from food in order for the body to
function properly. Linoleic acid is an omega 6 fatty acid and is important for
healthy brain function, skin and hair growth and bone health.
Andrew Weil, M.D., recommends we eat a balance between
omega-3 (oily fish or take fish oil supplements, walnuts, flax seeds, and
omega-3 fortified eggs) and omega-6. Both are polyunsaturated fatty acids but
differ in their chemical structure. We need essential fatty acids for: Energy
Production, Diffusion of oxygen into the bloodstream, Hemoglobin production,
Vital for the transportation and metabolism of triglycerides and cholesterol,
Brain and nerve tissue development, Control cell membrane fluids, etc.
We live in a market driven consume society. We must never forget that the advertising we see on television is there to sell us products, or ideas. Advertising is the corporate tool to create sales it does not educate. Often corporations lobby for laws to protect their profits at the individual’s expense.
Do you remember in the 1980’s when we were told coconut oil
was unhealthy? Did you ever wonder why all of a sudden you should not eat
coconut oil? The American Soybean Association (ASA) launched a series of
attacks that became known as the "Tropical Grease Campaign." They
coined a new term, "tropical oils," and used the phrase as a negative
label.
We can thank heath advocates such as Dr. Oz and Dr. Weil for
reintroducing us to the many benefits of coconut and other healthy oils. If we
follow Dr. Andrew Weil’s advice for a balance between omega-3 and omega-6, this
is a perfect recipe:
The FOODNETWORK--Canada’s
Caribbean Coconut Crusted Salmon
INGREDIENTS
1 ¼ cup of shredded, unsweetened coconut
4 6 oz salmon filets, skin removed
Salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Put coconut into a freezer bag. Drop in the salmon filets
one at a time and toss to coat. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and
season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.
3. Serve with Caribbean Salsa.
If you’re looking for a good German Chocolate Cake
coconut-pecan filling recipe, this looks like my mom’s recipe. Here’s the
link:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/german-chocolate-cake-frosting-ii/detail.aspx
Read more at
http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/caribbean-coconut-crusted-salmon/6823/#XOwRpXzCqLo8rtSy.99
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400149/balancing-omega-3-and-omega-6.html
August 2003 issue of Consumers' Research, vol. 86 no. 8.
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