Coconut Palm Sugar from Bali - Essential Pantry

Description

This Coconut Palm Sugar by Chefshop.com is divine! This is some of the most fragrant, flavorful sugar we've ever tasted. Hints of toasted coconut and caramel waft from the open bag. Not quite as sweet as cane sugar or as overpowering as dark muscovado, it is loaded with toasty, caramelly flavor - maple sugar fans will love this. Usage Suggestions : Sprinkle this coconut palm sugar on your oatmeal; use it instead of white sugar for the top of your crème brulé; make a syrup from it and drizzle it over some banana nut pancakes use it as part of the crumbly topping for crisps or coffee cake; try it in you coffee; use it in marinades, or just pop it directly into your mouth as a delicious treat! Where it Comes From: In the Village of Dawan on the island of Bali, artisans collect the sweet "tuak" sap from the bounty of Coconut Palms that keeps this coastal village shady and cool. The Dawan producers are renowned throughout Indonesia as the place where Coconut sugaring first began and their golden harvest is highly prized. The Process: With the coming of dawn the silhouettes of island farmers can be seen climbing high into swaying palms, tapping the flowers spikes that hang within the green fronds. A sweet nectar is realeased and drips slowly into earthen vessels hung below the flowers. This nectar is "tuak: the sweet sap of the palm. The tuak is boiled over open fires in cast iron kettles and slowly thickens to sugar. At just the right moment the sugars are stirred to form crystals and ladled hot into waiting coconut shell molds and then ground back into granules for transport to America. History: The art of sugaring the palms is a tradition dating back over centuries...its secrets passed from generation top generation. An artisan sugar made on a scale of kilos a day...nothing short of perfection.