Veihalo

Young coconut fruit is cracked with the juice drained and mixed with the flesh which has been scraped from the shell. The two are stirred in a pot and served warm. It’s the ‘warm’ version of ‘otai, and tastes delicious.

Labour intensive to select the coconuts, dehusk, crack and scrape, so it isn’t as common a treat anymore, but definitely well appreciated whenever it’s available and an important part of the Kai Pola offerings.

The ToaLuau group makes a great video of how they do it in Ha’amoa..

In later years some people have ‘simulated’ the Veihalo using not so young coconut fruit, and you can make it look like veihalo, but there is a signature taste to having the right grade ingredients (insist on the real thing)