103
FARM TO TABLE
Natural sweeteners
Black and seductive, nipa syrup
and buri sugar are deeply earthy
and complex. The flavors were
sublime ribboned into Purple
Yam’s pandan ice cream, making
the realization all the more
melancholy that the world’s palm
sugars are dying out — partly
because they are harder to grow
and extract than cane sugar, and
partly because other products
made from different parts of the
palm, like nipa huts and buri hats,
have been replaced by plastic
substitutes.
Besa hopes that as
more people come to
value these agricultural
treasures, it will pull
them back from the brink
of obscurity, because
“They’re going to die out
if we don’t eat them”
1
Quezon wild honey
2
Abra blond muscovado sugar
3
Cassia leaves from Mindanao, family of
the star anise
4
Castilla gold honey, another variety of
honey, from Sorsogon
5
Nipa syrup
6
Cacao nibs from Davao, roasted
segments of the cacao bean, used as
toppings for ice cream
7
Abra floral honey
8
Cassia bark from Sultan Kudarat
9
Buri sugar
10
Tablea from Davao
9
10
