Pearl or nibbed sugar, excellent for topping buns, cakes and biscuits. Very popular in various parts of Europe: Scandinavia, Belgium and Italy in particular, pearl sugar is compressed to make nuggets between 2mm and 4mm in diameter. The density of the sugar stops it from melting during baking and so is very good as a topping to cakes such as panettone.
Q: What is the difference between Pearl Sugar and Belgian Waffle Sugar?
A: Pearl sugar is used for cake toppings - a crunchy sprinkling for example on panettone. Belgian waffle sugar is used for making, well, Belgian waffles. It goes into the batter and gives a caramel nugget in the waffle.