On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1276

ofminerals,givefinalmolassesaharshflavor
thatmakesitgenerallyunfitfordirecthuman
consumption, although it’s sometimes sold
blended with corn syrup. A small amount is
alsousedintobaccocuring.
FoodWords:Molasses,Treacle
Molasses comes from the late Latin word
mellaceus, which meant “like honey.” The
English termtreaclecomesviatheFrench
triacle from the Latintheriaca, meaning
antidotes against poison. Medieval
pharmacists used sugar syrups to
compoundtheirdrugs,andcametoreferto
the syrups by a term for the remedies.
Today, treacle can mean both dark, strong
molasses or the lighter, more delicate
refiner’ssyrups.
KindsofMolassesFirstandsecondmolasses
havebeenusedinfoodsformanyyears,and
foralongtimeweretheonlyformofsugar
availabletoslavesandthepooroftherural


South,usuallybleachedwithsulfurdioxide
andstronglysulfuroustothetaste.Today,
mostmolassesavailabletoconsumersare
actuallyblendsofmolassesandsyrupsfrom
variousstagesthroughoutthesugar-making
process.Theyrangefrommildtopungentand
bitter,fromgoldenbrowntobrown-black.The
darkerthemolasses,themoreitssugarshave

beentransformedbycaramelizationand
browningreactions,andsothelesssweetand
morebitteritis.Lightmolassesmaybe35%
sucroseand35%invertsugars,and2%
minerals;blackstrapmolassesmaybe35%
sucrose,20%invertsugars,and10%
minerals.
Molasses in Cooking The flavor of cane
molasses is complex, with woody and green
notesaswellassweet,caramel,butteryones.
Its complexity has made it a popular
background flavor in many foods; popcorn
balls, gingerbread, licorice, barbeque sauces,