Cocada Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Cocada
Cocadas from Ferrol, Spain.
Type	Confectionery or candy
Place of origin	Mexico
Region or state	Latin America
Associated national cuisine	Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador.
Serving temperature	Room temperature
Main ingredients	Eggs, shredded coconut, food coloring, sugar, brown sugar, coconut milk, condensed milk, fruit syrup

Cocada are a traditional coconut candy or confectionery found in many parts of Latin America. They are particularly popular in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, and Ecuador. They are oven baked but are served at room temperature to provide their chewy and soft texture. Made with eggs and shredded coconut, cocadas come in a variety of colors due to the modern use of food coloring, however the traditional variations are golden brown. They are often garnished with almonds, either whole or chopped. There are hundreds of cocadas recipes, from the typical hard, very sweet balls to cocadas that are almost the creamy texture of flan. Other fruit, often dried, can be added to the cocadas to create variety, which will also lend to a wide spectrum of cocada colors. Cocadas are mentioned as early as 1878 in Peru.

By country
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By country

Mexico, Colombia and Uruguay

In Colombia and Mexico, Conserva de coco are sold not only as artisan candies from shops, but commonly on the streets, out of baskets, and particularly on the beaches, by men or women who carry them on large aluminum trays. In Uruguay, they are commonly sold in bakeries under the name of coquitos, the more delicate versions include a cherry on the top and syrup coating, sometimes they fill the boxes of assorted masas.

Brazil

In Brazil, cocada are a traditional confectionery originating from the north-east of the country. They are often long and thin rather than round, and are sold in the streets.

One variation of cocada in Brazil is the "black cocada" (Portuguese: Cocada preta) made with brown sugar and slightly burnt coconut. In Brazil, "rei da cocada preta" (black cocada king) is used to refer to an arrogant person who thinks too highly of himself.

Although similar, cocadas and queijadinhas are not the same thing. The cocada is usually made from coconut and sugar only, rolled together to form an amorphous mass. Queijadinha is made with more ingredients, and gets its shape from the baking tin.

Venezuela

In Venezuela, conserva de coco is a candy and cocada is a drink blended with coconut and the confectionery or candy form is called "conserva de coco".