Sugar is a bad word, and for many it’s a sin. As we know sins are somethings we commit as most sins are pleasurable.

Coconut was sin when I was growing up. But it just got through the scrutiny of St. Peter at the gate of heaven. Coconut is good and coconut oil better.

Coconut and other palms gave us the common man’s alcohol, toddy. For the connoisseur there was the sweet derivative paani, the honey like concoction which went best with the iconic Kerala puttu.

Those days when we had paani in abundance, it used to crystallise in glass bottles. And we knew it tasted better to paani even.

Now they have come up with coconut sugar. It’s not made from coconut per se, but from the sweet extract of the coconut flower which if not tapped would be coconuts.

Toddy is fermented version of this extract. Paani is the boiled down version of fresh toddy before fermentation.

Another sweet version of the extract is neera and coconut sugar is made from neera.

The beauty of coconut sugar is not that it is not sugar, but the fact that it’s glycemic index is said to be 30. That’s just half of sugar or honey. That’s why it’s a good alternative to sugar.

If you must have added sweetness, and be healthy, try coconut sugar.