For centuries, Asian countries have focused the sap of palm trees to make a sweetener for cooking and medical functions. The sugar is drawn from two types of palm, the palmyra and the familiar coconut palm. Coconut palm sugar has attracted a lot of interest because the late 20th century for its low glycemic index and high levels of micro-nutrients. It likewise can be substituted directly for cane sugar in baking.
About Coconut Palm Sugar
Coconut palm sugar is produced by tapping the tree’s blooms for sap. This process eliminates the blooms and prevents the tree from growing coconuts for that season. The sap is focused down to a syrup. Then the syrup is further evaporated to form sugar. It is offered in three market types– a thick paste just like creamed honey; small cakes of hard compressed sugar; and granulated, ready-to-use sugar, similar in appearance to conventional brown sugar.
Benefits of Using Coconut Palm Sugar
One of the main factors owning palm sugar’s current rise in appeal is its low glycemic index. This is a procedure of how a food is soaked up by the body, and more specifically to what degree it causes blood sugar to spike. Checking by the Philippine federal government’s Department of Science and Technology figured out that coconut sugar has a glycemic index of 35, well listed below the low criteria of 55. It is also a significant source of several minerals, including phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and iron.
Use in Baking
Coconut palm sugar is a versatile replacement for conventional walking stick sugar for a lot of baking functions. It is less sweet than cane sugar however more delicious, with a molasses-like flavor just like brown sugar, and in a lot of cases the quantity of sugar can be lowered by as much as 25 percent without modifying completion result. Use the paste form of walking cane sugar to sweeten batters and doughs that do not need creaming. The hard cakes can be grated for use or pounded with a mallet to break them into powder. Once lowered to powder, the sugar is interchangeable with granulated palm sugar or cane sugar.
Extra Considerations and Tips
Coconut palm sugar has a more-rounded flavor than walking stick sugar, with distinct caramel and butterscotch notes. Nevertheless, it’s produced on a small scale and can be rather variable. For consistency’s sake, stick with one brand name whenever possible. If you want to reduce the amount of sugar in your baked goods, cut down the recipe by 1 tablespoon of palm sugar each time up until the flavor is impacted. Make up for a reduced quantity of sugar by creaming the fat and sugar longer.
Coconut sap/coconut sugar
Let’s get this straight: coconut sugar is sugar. Sugar does not absolutely being healthy because it’s made from the sap of a tree that likewise produces coconuts! So the problem is that there’s nothing wonderful about “coconut sugar” that makes it healthier than other kind of sugar.
However fortunately is that if it’s not special, it’s simple to change. If you need a sweetener, you can replace honey, molasses, or another Paleo-friendly sweetener, however remember that no matter how “natural” it may be, you’re still basically eating a spoonful of sugar. Keep it periodic and do not try to trick yourself that it’s a natural food.
