Palm sugar

Palm sugar, or gula melaka to Malay-speakers, is made from the sap of the palm tree. Fresh palm sap is boiled down shortly after collection to make a concentrated heavy palm syrup. This syrup is poured into bamboo sections to form cylindrical shapes, or into small shallow bowls to form shallow hemispheres. The sugar ranges from almost white to pale honey-gold to a deep, dark brown, with varying consistency. Palm sugar is used in Southeast Asian cuisine in both savoury and sweet dishes.