Giada De Laurentiis Absolutely Refuses To Eat This Popular Tropical Fruit

Famed TV chef Giada De Laurentiis is well known for sharing her love of Italian-American cuisine. With her wide variety of crave-worthy recipes and cooking tips galore, it's hard to imagine De Laurentiis disliking any specific food or ingredient. Surprisingly, in a 2017 interview with Bravo TV, she admitted to hating coconut, stating, "I don't eat coconut. I don't like anything with coconut. Not [coconut] water. Just no coconut — at all. In anything."

Although the tropical fruit is one of a handful of foods De Laurentiis refuses to eat, it nonetheless shows up in a number of different recipes on her website. This includes such delightful desserts as her Magic Bars, composed of layers of chocolate chip cookie, walnuts, and caramel, and a topping of chocolate brownies sprinkled with sweetened shredded coconut. Additionally, her recipe for crispy coconut orzo with peas involves cooking the orzo in coconut milk.

It's interesting to note that, while De Laurentiis herself isn't a fan of coconut, she can still provide interesting ways to use the fruit in your cooking. In fact, coconut would go especially well with a few of De Laurentiis' favorite foods including oatmeal, healthy snack mixes, and frozen smoothies among others. When it comes to working with ingredients that might not be your favorite, take a cue from De Laurentiis and be open to the creative possibilities.

Coconut is a staple of many dishes such as curries, desserts, and more. With that said, not everyone's tastes are exactly alike — and coconut is just one of a number of polarizing ingredients that some people either love or hate. While there are plenty of others who also don't care for the fruit, chef Giada De Laurentiis still knows how to make one of her least liked foods shine. She's living proof that, when cooking for others, it's a good idea to understand the taste and texture of all your ingredients, even if you don't personally enjoy eating them. 

Provided an allergy doesn't preclude you from having coconut, it's worth tasting your dishes to make sure they're right for a friend or guest. If you're lukewarm on the ingredient yourself, there are ways to tone down a strong coconut flavor in your dishes while cooking. On the other hand, there are also clever substitutes that can act as a stand-in to mimic consistency. For example, you can use chopped nuts like slivered almonds or seeds in place of shredded coconut or other plant-based milks like cashew or oat to swap for coconut milk. A little creativity in your cooking goes a long way.