Muscovado Sugar

[Mac]

I need light and dark muscovado suger but I can't find it in any of the supermarkets I've looked in. Is it available in France or is it one of those things I shall have to ask visitors to fetch with them?

Some receipes just aren't the same with ordinary brown sugar.

[pachapapa]

I would imagine that a french recEipe would require" Sucre roux Demerara de l'Ile de la Réunion".

[idun]

Bought my first lot ever a few weeks ago in the UK. I just used to use whatever brown sugar I could find in France and never had a problem.

What is so different about this lot I have bought? I haven't noticed anything special about it.

[Alex H]

[quote user="idun"]

What is so different about this lot I have bought? I haven't noticed anything special about it.

[/quote]

"Natural brown sugar, or raw sugar is a brown sugar produced from the first crystallization of the sugar cane. There is more molasses in natural brown sugar, giving it a higher mineral content. Some natural brown sugars have particular names and characteristics, and are sold as Turbinado, Muscovado, or Demerara sugar."

That's all.........................

Courtesy of Wikipedia

[Théière]

But why does natural unrefined sugar cost more than refined, bleached white sugar? Wiki me that [;-)]

[Alex H]

[quote user="Théière"]But why does natural unrefined sugar cost more than refined, bleached white sugar? Wiki me that [;-)][/quote]

Market forces? White sugar is the bigger seller, so costs less.

[Théière]

Correct, still seems so unfair, why do people want white sugar it's not "natural" the packet tells you that [:)]

[idun]

Coz people like me don't necessarily like things that are 'good for me'.[6]

[Théière]

Didn't say it was good for you, just less bad perhaps [Www]

Off to make a rhubarb crumble [:)]

[idun]

Lucky you with the rhubarb crumble, I think that I have recently developed an allergy to rhubarb, I'll miss it. If I cannot have things, I give them up. It'll be the same with sugar if I can no longer have that. But whilst I can have things, I go for a little of what I fancy.[:D]

 

[woolybanana]

Isn't this a strange sugar that has 'passed through' a Muscovy duck, or a Spanish nobleman?

[Clair]

[quote user="Mac"]I need light and dark muscovado suger but I can't find it in any of the supermarkets I've looked in. Is it available in France or is it one of those things I shall have to ask visitors to fetch with them?

Some receipes just aren't the same with ordinary brown sugar.[/quote]

I have bought some from Leclerc before.

It is sold in the "Produits de Commerce Ethiquable" and comes in a resealable plastic pouch, all the way from Peru!

I have also bought some from my local bio shop and it is called Sucre Rapadura or Sucre de canne complet. It is sold pre-packed, but I prefer to buy it loose and transfer it in the resealable pouch from above... [:)]

The difference between this sugar and others is quite noticeable when baking, as it gives a pronounced liquorice taste to dark fruit cakes and spiced cakes like ginger cake or pain d'épices. (more details here).

[idun]

I only made brownies with mine and it made not one bit of difference to the taste of them. Maybe because so many other things with strong tastes are in them, like a good dose of vanilla and cocoa.

[Clair]

It has the same effect as using molasses in baking.

Try it on plain yoghurt and you'll be able to tell immediately.

It has s distinctive smell of liquorice too.

[pachapapa]

[quote user="Théière"]But why does natural unrefined sugar cost more than refined, bleached white sugar? Wiki me that [;-)][/quote]

Sugar Cane costs more to produce than Sugar Beet.

Just wiki it.

[idun]

Thankyou. I didn't know that, I'll try it.

[pachapapa]

[quote user="idun"]Thankyou. I didn't know that, I'll try it.[/quote]

Been checking figures for Brazil vis-à-vis sugar and ethanol; cane sugar is cheaper. The EU situation is affected by subsidies and import duties to european farmers, inflating the price of imported sugar. Sorry to mislead .

[Rob Roy]

Only just seen this thread. In our local Super U supermarket I can get (with all the other sugars) 'Sucre Vergeoise Blonde' and 'Sucre Vergeoise Brune', the Brune is the dark Muscovado, the Blonde the light variety.

[Patf]

Intermarché sell it too, in their "foreign goods" section. As Claire said, from Peru or somewhere like that.

[idun]

So I have had it in the past RR. I didn't know.[:)]

[pachapapa]

Leclerc have an eco friendly one from Paraguay and Begin Say have "bags".

[Mac]

Thanks for all the help. I have managed to get something that looks like muscovado and will act like it I hope. Some of the stickier cakes e.g. gingerbreads just aren't the same without it.

[idun]

And I bought some this morning too[:D]. There was a choice of dark and light, I'm not sure which would taste more like liquorice, the darker probably, but I bought the lighter coloured one.