Label
All
0
Clear all filters

Alan Davidson

Sugar Cane

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

Saccharum officinarum, the source of most of the world’s sugar, is the descendant of a now extinct wild plant which probably grew in New Guinea. (A reference is made under papua New Guinea to the consumption there of not only sugar cane but also the enclosed inflorescences of S. edule, locally called pitpit.)

The sugar cane is a giant grass looking rather like bamboo; but its stems, instead of being hollow, are filled with a sappy pulp. Nearly 90 per cent of the weight of cane is juice, and this juice contains up to 17 per cent sucrose (common sugar) and small amounts of two other sugars, dextrose and fructose. Sugar-cane juice is pleasantly sweet, although lacking in flavour. It is used as a soft drink in sugar-growing countries, and raw cane is chewed as a sweet.

Become a Premium Member to access this page

  • Unlimited, ad-free access to hundreds of the world’s best cookbooks

  • Over 150,000 recipes with thousands more added every month

  • Recommended by leading chefs and food writers

  • Powerful search filters to match your tastes

  • Create collections and add reviews or private notes to any recipe

  • Swipe to browse each cookbook from cover-to-cover

  • Manage your subscription via the My Membership page

Download on the App Store
Pre-register on Google Play
Best value
'Brilliant app for foodies'
'Spotify of cookbooks'

Part of

Related Recipes

  • ‌
  • ‌
  • ‌
  • ‌

Related Reference

  • ‌
  • ‌
  • ‌
  • ‌
The licensor does not allow printing of this title