Demerara sugar

[sky otter]

i think you should always  be learning and today i have learned that brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses added..hummmm, guess i never really thought about what brown sugar was..

i have always wanted to make elderberry cordial and was looking up a recipe and came across this term
demarara sugar
so i looked it up and found it is really raw sugar..which i have used instead of white sugar for years..
life is really funny
but anywho..
here is the link and info for anyone interested



http://www.care2.com/greenliving/what-is-demerara-sugar.html


Without question, we all have a pretty good idea of what sugar is. White refined sugar, which is the most common form of sugar commercially found, is usually made from either sugarcane (a perennial grass) or sugar beets (a sort of tuber). The products are then sufficiently refined and made into the granular white sugar we all know so well. There are, of course, countless sugar alternatives and substitutes, from the highly artificial (Equal) to the natural (Stevia, which also comes from a plant). But lately, over the last few years, we have been hearing more and more about something called Demerara sugar, which some erroneously assume is just brown sugar.

Unlike brown sugar, which is just refined white sugar lightly bathed in a bit of molasses (this is a good thing to know, as you can just substitute brown sugar for white sugar with a bit of molasses added), Demerara sugar is a large-grained, somewhat crunchy, raw sugar with origins in Guyana (a colony formerly called Demerara). Because of the rising popularity of Demerara over the years (with the European market being the early adopters, and the U.S. market slowly following behind) this particular type of sugar is now produced in Mexico, India, Hawaii, among other countries. Demerara is a light brown, partially refined, sugar produced from the first crystallization during processing cane juice into sugar crystals (this process is similar to what happens with naturally evaporated cane juice). Unlike brown sugar, which has the added molasses flavor, Demerara has a natural caramel-like flavor that hasn't been refined out. This lends warm caramel notes to whatever you add the sugar. Also, Demerara sugar is also referred to as Turbinado sugar in many markets, which has more to do with how the sugar is processed in turbines, than where it originates.


Some claim that Demerara (as well as Turbinado) sugar holds more nutritional value, with an elevated mineral content that hadn't been lost to the refining process (it is important to note that sugar, in any form, is not a health food by any stretch of the imagination and has been linked to everything from obesity to diabetes). The jury still out on these claims. But to be sure, Demerara sugar is actually far more delicious than your run of the mill white sugar, and lends complexity and depth to recipes, baked goods, and even tea. Its crunchy, large crystals are a nice addition (added sparingly) to the tops of muffins, cakes, and even cookies.

Have you had firsthand experience with Demerara sugar? Do you love it, or find it much ado about nothing?

Related: 19 Sugars & Sweeteners: Which Are Healthy?



Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/what-is-demerara-sugar.html#ixzz2aRjKVRgy

[Elvis Hendrix]

[ArMaP]

I noticed some years ago that refined sugar is the only thing without "best before" date.

I suppose it's like the diamonds, forever.

[Somamech]

Sugarcane Juice to the Rescue



Although I can get Sugarcane Juice here where I live easily, it is not as easy as being in Asia

[Somamech]

WOW this book will make anyone here laugh and/or think !

Found this whilst searching around for sugar

http://www.howmuchsugar.com/


According to this website the above author claims eating fruit is bad for you WTF 

http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/national/frequently-asked-questions/fructose

The Funny's get rolling here

In his book Sweet Poison (published in 2008), and in the ABC Radio National program Ockham's Razor
(broadcast in July 2009), David Gillespie claims that the obesity epidemic as well as many chronic diseases
are entirely attributable to the consumption of fructose.

Fructose is the major carbohydrate present in fruit,
and although some dietary fructose is derived from fruit, much fructose consumed in the diet is derived from sucrose (commonly known as 'sugar') and from foods containing added sucrose. This is because sucrose consists of 50% fructose and 50% glucose. Sweet foods such as desserts, cakes, chocolate and other confectionery, and sweetened beverages such as carbonated soft drinks, sports drinks and so on, contain large quantities of added fructose. Fruit juice is also high in fructose.

So hey whilst they are debating what to eat and what fructose is doing, one plain thing is simple, fruit grow's and we should eat it, and it contains fructose among many other goodies 

[Elvis Hendrix]

Gentle sugar storey.

I went to Fiji for a couple of months surfing.
We stayed at this nice place on the beach in little bungalows.
One morning I decided to walk as far as I could to see where the beach led.
When I got to where I guess the resort ended, I came upon I little village.
There were kids playing and folk going about their day to day stuff.
An old geezer spied me and came towards me with what looked like a stick in his hand.
I was a little nervy but he was smiling so I stayed put.
He gestured that I sit on this fallen tree with him, so I did then he snapped his stick in half and gave me a piece. Then he started chewing on it and I Sussed it was sugar cane.
So we sat there not saying a word munching away and smiling,
Watching the waves.

Il never forget it.
Elvis.

[Somamech]

That is an awesome experience EH 

Whacks me out how much debate there is over health and the simplest things are what we should be eating and they been around for awhile!

[Elvis Hendrix]

Yea, like forever. Growing out of the ground we walk on.

[ArMaP]

According to this website the above author claims eating fruit is bad for you WTF 

My grandmother got diabetes after a fruit diet.