Food Friday: Palm Sugar

Posted on 20. Nov, 2009 by April in food, Thailand

Palm trees make me happy. Something about the tropical connotations of them, my affinity for beaches, something – I know I’m someplace exotic if there are palm trees

When you think of food associated with palm trees, no doubt you immediately think, “Coconut!” Of course! And there are so many things made from coconuts- pina coladas, coconut milk, coconut curry, coconut oil, dried coconut, etc.

Another thing made from coconut palms is palm sugar. During our adventure to the floating market, we saw how palm sugar is made. If you’ve ever been part of the maple syrup producing process, you’ll probably recognize much of this…

1. Sap is collected from the palm tree by cutting one of it’s large leaves away from the trunk

2. The sap is heated for a long time, evaporating water and allowing it to thicken

3. Once it has become a thick syrup, it is transferred to a large wok-like pan and stirred while it cools

4. As it cools, it crystallizes and becomes more and more solid

5. Once it reaches the right consistency, it is spooned into little cakes on a flat surface to finish hardening

The final product is similar to maple candy, minus the maple flavor… with an added coconut flavor. Use it the same way you’d use sugar. Jason thinks it tastes great in tea. I wonder if it could be kept in syrup form and how that would taste on pancakes

Tags: food, friday, Thailand