Refined sugar is the industrial revolution in edible form. It is white, cheap, uniform, and — if we're honest — quite hollow.
Palm jaggery is the opposite. It carries iron, magnesium, potassium and a caramel-smoke aroma that no factory can bottle. It is slow to make and small in yield, which is exactly why it is worth reaching for.
This piece walks through what changes when you switch, and how to cook with it without turning every dish into dessert.