Palm sugar & jaggery (again)

[Guest guest]

Thanks for clearing up the mystery about palm sugar. I also found this

link:

http://www.asiafood.org/glossary_2.cfm?wordid=2825

It seems like an okay sweetener, especially for southeast Asian

recipes. Oddly enough, the French translation on the label said " sirop

d'erable " ( " maple syrup " ). I've learned not to put too much trust in

packaging from less developed countries. :-)

Anyway, today I discovered something else at the store: " Kitul

jaggery " , from Sri Lanka. It comes in chunks, and is very dark brown,

almost black. From the UN Food & Agriculture Organization site:

" Kitul (Careota urens) is abundant in the wet evergreen forests.

Flowers, or more correctly inflorescences of kitul, are tapped to obtain

phloem sap which produces a range of products such as jaggery, alcoholic

beverages (toddy) and vinegar. Kitul flour obtained from the juvenile

core of the tree is a well-known medicine for giddiness. "

Here's a picture for identification, in case you're ever feeling giddy

in the Sri Lankan jungle. :-)

http://www.mssrf.org/fris9809/srilanka-plate8a.html

The jaggery business reminds me of the time I bought Indian " bajri

millet " flour, which is a purplish-grey colour, nothing like the yellow

millet sold in health-food stores here. I later found out that there

are several different plants that go by the name " millet " .

Word of advice: the grey kind is much easier to bake with than the

yellow kind. Finally, I was able to get my flatbreads to stay in one

piece!

Eleanor