Palm Sugar

Although all coconut sugar is a type of palm sugar (coconut is a palm tree), not all palm sugar is coconut sugar. Most of the prized Southeast Asian palm sugar is crafted from the Asian Palmyra palm tree, Borassus flabellifer, whereas coconut sugar is from the Cocos nucifera, or coconut tree. Palm sugar is used in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. It’s used to a much lesser extent in Vietnam. Although coconut and palm sugars are made the same way and are used interchangeably by most cooks, Thai dessert specialists prefer coconut sugar for its more subtle taste.