Wow! You’re right about the discussion going on at

nature-singapore group. After your email, I went to join

the group to have a peek at what the discussion was all

about.

Anyway, I spoke for some time after dinner with my granny

and Uncle Cyril (who happens to be a nature lover, me not

really). Below are the findings of the discussion.

Gula Melaka – extracted from the flower bud of a coconut

tree. Several slits are cut into the bud and a pot is tied

underneath the bud to collect the juice. Then, the juice is

boiled until it thickens. Toddy is made this way.

Gula Apong – extracted from the flower bud of a nipah palm.

Same method of extraction as Gula Melaka.

Gula Apong is apparently bitter compared to Gula Melaka. It

is also blacker in colour but gula melaka is thicker.

Back in Penang in the old days when my granny was living

there (30s to the 50s), Gula Apong was not available there.

She came across Gula Apong when she moved to Sarawak in the

60s with my grandfather. She didn’t develop a taste for it.

Anyway, Gula Apong would probably be more widely available

in Singapore and West Malaysia now as Sarawakians travel

back and forth looking for work or have settled down there.

Both Gula Melaka and Gula Apong are used in desserts as

well as for making kuih. Both need to be filtered to

removed out any debris leftover from the processing of the

sugar. Sometimes, there are bits of leaves and insects

still leftover in them but in Singapore, it’s probably

filtered out already.

I was reading the details from Mr. Yap which is very

interesting. It could be that Gula Melaka is now made on a

larger scale using nipah but one would need to verify this.

Even cottage industries can be at a very large scale when

one puts one’s mind to it.

I’ll post this up on the blog and see what the response is

like.

Hope this was useful.

Cheerio!

Wow! You’re right about the discussion going on at

nature-singapore group. After your email, I went to join

the group to have a peek at what the discussion was all

about.

Anyway, I spoke for some time after dinner with my granny

and Uncle Cyril (who happens to be a nature lover, me not

really). Below are the findings of the discussion.

Gula Melaka – extracted from the flower bud of a coconut

tree. Several slits are cut into the bud and a pot is tied

underneath the bud to collect the juice. Then, the juice is

boiled until it thickens. Toddy is made this way.

Gula Apong – extracted from the flower bud of a nipah palm.

Same method of extraction as Gula Melaka.

Gula Apong is apparently bitter compared to Gula Melaka. It

is also blacker in colour but gula melaka is thicker.

Back in Penang in the old days when my granny was living

there (30s to the 50s), Gula Apong was not available there.

She came across Gula Apong when she moved to Sarawak in the

60s with my grandfather. She didn’t develop a taste for it.

Anyway, Gula Apong would probably be more widely available

in Singapore and West Malaysia now as Sarawakians travel

back and forth looking for work or have settled down there.

Both Gula Melaka and Gula Apong are used in desserts as

well as for making kuih. Both need to be filtered to

removed out any debris leftover from the processing of the

sugar. Sometimes, there are bits of leaves and insects

still leftover in them but in Singapore, it’s probably

filtered out already.

I was reading the details from Mr. Yap which is very

interesting. It could be that Gula Melaka is now made on a

larger scale using nipah but one would need to verify this.

Even cottage industries can be at a very large scale when

one puts one’s mind to it.

I’ll post this up on the blog and see what the response is

like.

Hope this was useful.

Cheerio!

Wow! You’re right about the discussion going on at

nature-singapore group. After your email, I went to join

the group to have a peek at what the discussion was all

about.

Anyway, I spoke for some time after dinner with my granny

and Uncle Cyril (who happens to be a nature lover, me not

really). Below are the findings of the discussion.

Gula Melaka – extracted from the flower bud of a coconut

tree. Several slits are cut into the bud and a pot is tied

underneath the bud to collect the juice. Then, the juice is

boiled until it thickens. Toddy is made this way.

Gula Apong – extracted from the flower bud of a nipah palm.

Same method of extraction as Gula Melaka.

Gula Apong is apparently bitter compared to Gula Melaka. It

is also blacker in colour but gula melaka is thicker.

Back in Penang in the old days when my granny was living

there (30s to the 50s), Gula Apong was not available there.

She came across Gula Apong when she moved to Sarawak in the

60s with my grandfather. She didn’t develop a taste for it.

Anyway, Gula Apong would probably be more widely available

in Singapore and West Malaysia now as Sarawakians travel

back and forth looking for work or have settled down there.

Both Gula Melaka and Gula Apong are used in desserts as

well as for making kuih. Both need to be filtered to

removed out any debris leftover from the processing of the

sugar. Sometimes, there are bits of leaves and insects

still leftover in them but in Singapore, it’s probably

filtered out already.

I was reading the details from Mr. Yap which is very

interesting. It could be that Gula Melaka is now made on a

larger scale using nipah but one would need to verify this.

Even cottage industries can be at a very large scale when

one puts one’s mind to it.

I’ll post this up on the blog and see what the response is

like.

Hope this was useful.

Cheerio!

Granny : In tin one got lah!

Wena : Wanna take pictures. Going to put on the internet.

Granny : Wah! Like that one kah?

Wena : Yalor. Forgot today that group of us are posting up about food eaten on bread (easier to explain Tartine this way).