Palm Sugar common name for a product
produced from one of the worlds most important plants, the palm.
The uses of a palm tree are numerous and varies across the
tropics with the varieties of different palms available.
The sugar palm or the palmyra palm main use is to produce palm
sugar which is frequently used in Indian cuisine. It also known
as jaggery or gur and is made from the reduced sap of either the
tree. The sap obtained from tapping the inflorescence, or flower
stalk, is drunk unfermented or fermented (toddy) and is a source
of sugar, alcohol, and vinegar. The trunk of the tree is drained
of its sap for several months before the sap is boiled down to a
syrup. The syrup is then dried into cakes, traditionally in
empty coconut shells. Occasionally, the syrup is smoked first,
giving the sugar a black colour and distinctive flavour.