Coco Rico: Puerto Rican Soda's Role in Vietnamese Cuisine 🇵🇷

Have you ever wondered how Coco Rico, a Puerto Rican coconut soda, became a staple in Vietnamese cooking and culture?

Growing up, I honestly thought Coco Rico was a Vietnamese product. It was always in our grocery stores, and my mom used it for everything — especially Thịt Kho Trứng, Vietnamese caramelized pork belly braised with eggs.

But it turns out, Coco Rico actually originated in Puerto Rico, first introduced in Latin supermarkets all the way back in the 1930s.

After the war, when Vietnamese families immigrated and settled in places like California and Texas, they found themselves living alongside vibrant Puerto Rican and Latino communities. Fresh young coconuts weren’t easy to find in the U.S., so Vietnamese cooks adapted. They started using Coco Rico — an affordable, convenient, and shelf-stable substitute that carried the same gentle coconut flavor. Its natural sweetness made it perfect for slow-braised dishes like Thịt Kho Trứng, adding depth, richness, and that signature glossy caramel sauce we all love.

Then in the 1990s, after U.S.–Vietnam trade reopened, Coco Rico’s popularity among Vietnamese American cooks brought it full circle — it started showing up in Vietnam too.

Today, after decades of use, it’s become an incredible symbol of resilience and adaptation — proof that while people and food evolve with their surroundings, their soul always stays rooted in where they came from.

In this video, I’ll show you how to make my family’s version of Thịt Kho Trứng — tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly braised in a sweet-savory coconut caramel sauce, using Coco Rico just like my mom did.

Full recipe:
https://feedthepudge.com/braised-pork-belly-and-egg-thit-kho-tau/

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