Palm Sugar

Arenga palm-sugar or known as gula semut in indonesia. It's come from further proccessing of palm-trees, it looks like a sand with color usually in dark-brown. It usage, especially in indonesia or another country in south-east asia, is for natural-sweetener or ingredient of tradisional or modern foodstuff industries.
Making gula semut is not much different from making gula jawa. Both are made of nira, a white sap obtained by tapping the inflorescences of the palm trees or coconut tree.
To turn it into sugar, the nira is first strained to remove dirt, then boiled until it becomes syrupy. It is then poured into a mold, usually made from half the husk of a palm, and is left to harden. After it is removed from the mold, the palm sugar is ready to use.
In making gula semut/palm sugar, however, the boiled nira is not simply poured into a mold. Instead, it is stirred and strained and dried so that it forms granules.
Arenga palm/coconut sugar is believed to be more nutritious than sugar extracted from sugarcane. It contains calcium, phosphor, iron, and even protein and fat, which are not present in sugarcane sugar. That is why palm/coconut sugar is believed to be beneficial for people suffering from calcium deficiency.
"to prevent osteoporosis you don't need to drink milk. You can just eat palm/coconut sugar. It's cheaper. "