brown sugar (Japanese variety); dark sweet liquid from third heating in sugar refining
Refers to a specific Japanese brown sugar made by heating sugar crystals three times, giving it a caramel-like flavor and moist texture. The technical definition (sense 1) describes the production process, while the common usage (sense 2) simply calls it brown sugar. In everyday contexts, it is treated as a type of brown sugar used in cooking.
San'ontō has a richer flavor than regular sugar.
This simmered dish tastes better when you use san'ontō.