Sugar
Panela
Also called chancaca, piloncillo, rapadura, unrefined cane sugar, whole cane sugar
Whole cane sugar: sugarcane juice boiled down until it sets hard, with nothing separated out. It is sold in blocks, cones or discs and has a deep brown colour and a strong molasses flavour.
Origin
Made across Latin America since the colonial sugar mills: chancaca in Peru and Chile, piloncillo in Mexico, panela in Colombia and Ecuador, rapadura in Brazil. Indian cane jaggery is the same idea.
Flavour
Molasses, caramel and a little smoke and spice. It tastes less plainly sweet than white sugar because of everything else in it.
How it is made
Cane juice is boiled in open pans, skimmed, and poured into moulds to harden.
How to use it
Chop or grate the block, or dissolve it whole in hot water to make syrups for picarones, buñuelos and café de olla. It melts more slowly than granulated sugar, so give it time over low heat and stir.
Storage
Keep wrapped in a sealed tin or bag in a cool, dry place for a year or more. If it goes rock hard, a few seconds in the microwave or a coarse grater deals with it.
