Palm sugar

Palm sugar was originally made from the sugary sap of the Palmyra palm , the date palm or sugar date palm (Phoenix sylvestris). Now it is also made from the sap of the sago, arenga pinnata and coconut palms, and may be sold as "arenga sugar" or "coconut sugar".

It is quickly gaining popularity in the progressive global health community as an alternative to high fructose agave syrup.[citation needed] Companies are now selling it into the natural food markets in India, so it is becoming easier to get high quality organic arenga or coconut palm sugar.[citation needed]

The taste of pure coconut palm sugar resembles that of brown sugar, yet with more rounded caramel and butterscotch notes, without the metallic ending flavor that brown sugar has. It has a rich flavor. For cooking purposes, it has a very low melt temperature and an extremely high burn temperature. This makes it a suitable sweetener for confectioners.[citation needed]

The brown sugar is a golden brown granule or paste, sold in tubes, blocks or tin cans. Liquid versions of coconut palm sugar are also available. It may be light-colored or dark, soft and gooey or hard. As a lightly-processed product of cottage industry, it varies greatly from batch to batch.[citation needed]

There are various forms of coconut palm sugar available on the market. The coconut palm sugar found in Thai markets generally are not 100% pure coconut palm sugar, but is blended with white cane sugar and also malt sugar. These tend to white hard blobs. It's important to discern which product you're looking for; a pure coconut palm sugar or a coconut palm sugar mixed with other sugars.

In Indonesia, sugar made from the Borassus (Palmyra palm) is known as Gula Jawa ("Javanese sugar") or gula merah (red sugar).

In Thai cuisine, palm and "coconut sugar" (nahm dtahn bpeep/buk and nahm dtahn maprao) are used interchangeably. However, it may be an important distinction that "coconut sugar" is not derived from the coconut fruit itself.[citation needed]


According to Kasma Loha-unchit:

"Although the names are used interchangeably, palm sugar and coconut sugar are not the same. One comes from the palmyra or sugar palm and the other from coconut palm, but both are produced from the sweet, watery sap that drips from cut flower buds."

Usage

While coconut sugar has long been a staple for South East Asian culinary heritage and herbal medicine, the evolution of this traditional sweetener into a practical and easy to use cane sugar alternative heralds an exciting moment for the food & beverage industry. Coconut Palm Sugar has an extremely low glycemic index, an extremely high nutrient content and an affordable price for manufacturers and consumers alike.

There has been a rapid increase in popularity with progressive manufactures in the United States who make products for the health conscious consumer. Because diabetes is becoming a global epidemic, consumers are becoming very aware of their sugar intake, in what form their sugar comes in and where it comes from. Coconut palm sugar, because of its low glycemic qualities and high nutrient profile, is gaining in popularity for a wide array of uses to cater to the sugar conscious consumer.

Companies are using coconut palm sugar in cookies, baked goods, protein powders, energy bar, beverages or anywhere cane sugar is used.

Palm sugar is often used to sweeten savory food to balance out the salty flavor of fish. Its primary use in Thai cuisine is in sweets and desserts, and somewhat less often in curries and sauces.[citation needed]

Indians have two varieties of Palmyra sugar. One is unrefined and is in the form of hard blocks of dark brown sugar. This known as Karuppatti in Tamil. Kerala in India also has this palm sugar known as karipotti and is used to make coffee known as karipotti kapi.This is used as a sweetener for making certain types of cakes and biscuits. To the east, West Bengal also has a date palm jaggery variant, available as a dark brown liquid (nolen or notun gur)and as a solid, dark brown block (patali gur). It is used to prepare rich milk based desserts.

The other is refined and is available as granules of crystalline sugar. This is known as Panam KaRkaNdu. This has medicinal value. It has the power to liquefy phlegm from the lungs. It is also profusely used in treatment of sore throat when dissolved in boiled concentrated milk.[citation needed]

Musicians use it on a regular basis in combination with other medicinal spices and herbs.[citation needed]

Palm sugar is used in some savory dishes but mainly in the local desserts and cakes of the Southeast Asian region. Palm sugar Sago pudding, shown in the picture, is one of many desserts made with palm sugar. It is among some of the more popular gastronomic delights of Peranakan (Chinese-Malay) origin. This dish consists of a bland sago pudding served with palm sugar syrup. In some ways it resembles the international Creme Caramel and differ only in the ingredients used. It can be served either cold or hot. To enrich the pudding, coconut milk or 'santan' its Malay name, is added. Santan is the South-East Asian non-dairy counterpart of the dairy cream, the latter either whipped or in liquid form, is used mainly in Western cuisines but both add richness or provide viscosity when these are required.[citation needed]

Palm sugar is made by making several slits into the bud of a coconut tree and collecting the sap. Then, the sap is boiled until it thickens after which, in the traditional way, it is poured into bamboo tubes between 3-5 inches in length, and left to solidify to form cylindrical cake blocks. Alternatively, it can be poured into glass jars or plastic bags