White Sugar
If a recipe calls for Sugar, without specifying what kind of Sugar, then what is meant is the standard, granulated white Sugar that everyone is familiar with.
There are two types of white Sugar -- one from Sugar beets, the other from Sugar cane. Both are 99.95 % sucrose. It probably won't come as any surprise that there are people who say they can taste the difference in the .05% remaining of differing trace minerals. There always has to be some, doesn't there?
The Sugar Beet, also known as the White Beet, has been specially bred for its Sugar producing properties. It is grown in more northerly parts where Sugar Cane won't grow. The beets are sliced up, then pressed for juice which is refined in the same way as Sugar Cane juice (though molasses from this Sugar Beet juice is not sold because there are issues with cleaning and straining it.) The UK derives a lot of its Sugar from cane, though there are vast fields of Sugar Beets and processing plants in East Anglia.
Sugar Cane is actually a grass; it grows up in tropical areas up to 20 feet (6 metres) tall. Its stems are pressed for their juice, then the juice is boiled down to produce Sugar.
Cooking Tips
When trying to cut back on Sugar, don't cut back on what is called for in yeast bread recipes, as it is generally there to feed the yeast. Nor should you cut back on what is called for in pickling and preserving, as Sugar plays a role in creating a hostile environment for bacteria in pickling and preserving (the Romans used to bottle fruit in honey to preserve it), and a role in getting Pectin to set jams and jellies. Instead, find a recipe that calls for less Sugar.
When putting Sugar that you want to caramelize on top of something, choose White Sugar rather than Brown Sugar. You might think it's a clever choice to use Brown Sugar because, being brown, it's already halfway there in terms of colour, but Brown Sugar tends to blacken instead of browning owing to the impurities left in it. Beet Sugar also tends to burn more than Sugar from cane will do.
Substitutes
Light Brown Sugar where the colour doesn't matter (use a bit more); Honey (use 25% less); Caster Sugar (use same amount).
To substitute maple syrup for Sugar, for every cup (8 oz / 225g) of Sugar called for use 3/4 cup (6 oz / 175 ml) maple syrup, 1/4 tsp baking soda, and reduce other liquid in the recipe by 3 tbsp.
To substitute molasses for Sugar, for every cup (8 oz / 225g) of Sugar called for use 1 1/3 cup (10 oz / 300 ml) molasses, 1 tsp baking soda, and reduce other liquid in the recipe by 6 tbsp. Don't swap more than half the Sugar in a recipe for molasses.
To substitute corn syrup for Sugar, for every cup (8 oz / 225g) of Sugar called for use 1 1/4 cup (10 oz / 300 ml) corn syrup, and reduce other liquid in the recipe by 4 tbsp.
To substitute icing Sugar, use 2 cups (14 oz / 400 g) unpacked icing Sugar for each cup of Sugar called for.
If you want to cut down on Sugar in your baking, you can substitute up to 25% of the White Sugar called for with powdered milk.
Nutrition
Provides energy only.
Don't buy unrefined Sugar because you think it is healthier; remember, all Sugar is almost entirely sucrose -- or it couldn't be legally sold as Sugar. Unrefined Sugar may have a few more trace elements of minerals than refined, but the difference is negligible. Whether you're making a lemon meringue pie or putting a teaspoon of Sugar in a cup of tea, using unrefined or a "natural" Sugar will make as much health difference as dancing around your tea with a grass skirt on. (In fact, the grass skirt routine would be healthier: you know, cardio exercise and all that.)
Remember that Sugar was first used in Europe for medicinal purposes. We laugh at such a thought now, but then get suckered into marketing hoo-hah about health benefits of unrefined Sugar. Perhaps it's like P.T. Barnum said, one born every minute.
That being said, there is a reason to buy unrefined Sugars, which would be that you can detect a taste difference and you like it. And if that's your reason, go for it.
Equivalents
1/2 cup = 4oz = 115g
Therefore, 2 cups of Sugar equals a pound or about 450g.
1 oz (30g) white granulated or superfine (caster) Sugar = 2 tablespoons
225g sugar = 1 cup = 8 oz
Storage
Store in a sealed contained indefinitely.
History
Sugar Cane probably originated in the South Pacific, probably New Guinea, in fact, and was spread for cultivation into Asia reaching India by 500 BC at the latest, as the process for making Sugar was known by then in India. By 600 AD, the Persians grew Sugar Cane and made Sugar, and the Arabs spread knowledge of it around. Refined Sugar helped make Venice rich, until explorers discovered a direct route to India to bypass Venice. Christopher Columbus brought Sugar Cane cuttings from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean on his second trip in 1493 and planted cane on Hispaniola (the island now shared by Haiti and The Dominican Republic). Until the 1500s, Sugar was imported from India. But after that, the Caribbean then owned the Sugar market, until Europeans developed Sugar Beets in the late 1700s and Sugar production from beets was encouraged in the 1800s.
The Romans did have access to some sugar, but it was crude and unrefined sugar -- not the fine, white sugar that is standard now.
Literature & Lore
"But, sweet Ned -- to sweeten which name of Ned, I give thee this pennyworth of Sugar." -- Prince Henry. Henry IV Part I: Act 2. Shakespeare.
Language Notes
"Sucre cristallisé" is French for granulated white sugar.
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