trunk, and then is boiled down either to a
syrup called palm honey, or to a crystallized
mass, which in India is known as gur (Hindi)
o r jaggery(English, via Portuguese from the
Sanskrit sharkara). These same words are also
used for unrefined cane sugars. Unrefined
palm sugar has a distinctive, winey aroma that
contributes to the flavor of Indian, Thai,
Burmese, and other South Asian and African
cuisines. Some palm sugar is refined to make
more neutral white sugar.
Agave syrup is produced from the sap of
various species of agave, desert plants native
to the New World that are related to the cactus
family. The sugars in agave syrup are about
70% fructose and 20% glucose, so this syrup
tastes sweeter than most.
Table Sugar: Cane and Beet sugars and Syrups
The processing of cane and beet sugar is much
more complicated than the production of