New Delhi, July 4 -- Have you ever noticed the small but oddly specific sign at airline check-in counters that reads "No coconuts in check-in baggage", listed beside power banks and matchboxes, and wondered what an innocent coconut did to deserve it?

Dried coconut, or copra, is classified as a Class 4 Dangerous Good by the International Air Transport Association. The reason lies in its high oil content and its potential for spontaneous combustion, a technical way of saying it can, under the right conditions, heat up and catch fire without any visible spark. It sounds dramatic, but it is enough for airlines to err on the side of caution.

Airline risk aside, copra is a welcome presence in Indian kitchens. My earliest memories of it are ti...