Coconut sugar

It is made from the sap of coconut palm flower buds, not from the coconut flesh or milk. The sap is heated until much of its water evaporates, leaving a brown sugar with a caramel-like flavour.

Usually, yes: replace it gram for gram. It gives cakes and biscuits a darker colour and a caramel note; its coarse crystals may not dissolve as readily, so grind them briefly or use it in recipes with a moist batter.

Keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dry cupboard. If it has hardened, break it up with a spoon or briefly pulse it in a food processor.

Its toffee-like flavour works well in coffee, porridge and spiced baking, as well as in sauces for dishes such as Indonesian nasi goreng. Start with a little in drinks, since it can dominate delicate flavours.

Usually, yes; use the same weight in sauces and desserts. Coconut sugar often comes granulated, so dissolve it in a little warm liquid if a recipe calls for a solid block of palm sugar.

Palm sugar has more: 388 kcal per 100 g, compared with 370 kcal in coconut sugar.