Jaggery :: Sweetener in Sri Lanka

As we entered the lobby at the Kandyan Resort in Kandy Sri Lanka, we were presented with herbal tea served in a china cup with saucer. On the saucer was a tiny silver spoon and a small, tan color cube about half the volume of a standard sugar cube.

As it was served with tea, we assumed it was brown sugar. Only later did we learn that it is a very special sugar, with its own name: Jaggery. It's an unrefined sugar that's common in India, too. It's made from the sap of palm trees, and sometimes sugar cane.

Back home in Mississauga, I found blocks of jaggery at an Indian grocery. It makes a change from the usual sugar cubes. Try it out.