The Quest for Good Tasting Raw Sugar
OK. Here is the problem. We don’t use much sugar in this house except on the rare times that I do a bit of baking. I do keep a small sugar bowl in my cupboard for the occasions when I need a dash or so for a particular dish, or to sprinkle on some fruit.
I like the taste and color of what we used to call 'raw sugar'. The somewhat large crystals impart a subtle but rich flavor compared to refined white. For years, we simply bought a small box of C & H Raw Sugar that lasted considerable time.
A few years ago, I slowly began to change my diet. I started to eat whole foods as much as possible. By that, I mean to say that I want to eat food as close to natural as possible. Whole brown rice and grains instead of refined and bleached. I want my vegetables as fruit to be organic if I can find them and prefer locally grown produce if available.
Regarding food, the simple rule I’d like to live by is to eat anything that one could grow, gather, hunt, or make in the kitchen. This little rule means that one should avoid ‘white’ ... any food that has been refined, bleached, processed or or otherwise molecularly changed. Potatoes are OK and good for you.
So, for instance, some time ago we switched from Morton’s Salt to a naturally mined ancient sea salt that is not bleached and or refined, kiln dried, heated or altered with chemicals or pollutants. The Redmond RealSalt we buy comes with a full complement of beneficial trace minerals that occurs naturally. The taste is rich and wonderful, and you actually find yourself needing less salt to bring out the true flavor of foods.
I admit that I am still an omnivore, and as much as I think it would be better for the planet if we all kicked the meat habit, I haven’t yet made that transition. But that is another story.
Back to sugar. I want my sugar to be made from Sugar Cane and liked the brand I was buying at Whole Foods Market. But things change. The Whole Food chain is getting larger and as they grow, I’ve noticed that they have stopped carrying many of the brands I loved. The sugar I bought there had a wonderfully rich flavor that did not contain a heavy ‘molasses’ taste. I’m not really fond of molasses. I can’t remember the brand name of the sugar I loved and none of the current packages look familiar anymore. That is what presented my current delimma.
A few weeks ago I spent considerable time reading all the labels of the different boxes and packages of the sugars exhibited on the shelf. I choose a Turbinado sugar that was fair traded. Wrong choice. The taste of that brand of sugar was heavy instead of mild. The crystals were the same as granulated sugar instead of the rather large crystals I preferred.
In doing some research on sugar, I think the kind I loved was is Demerara Sugar. Now back to the store to find a package of Demerara Sugar.
Voilà! This is it! What did we do before the internet?
If you are interested in sugar you might want to link here.
Posted by Judi at December 29, 2008 10:45 PM | TrackBack