Some of our long term customers may remember an article written in the Tengu Times way back in 2001. For those of you who didn’t get to see it and would like to know the difference between the sweeteners we carry here are the basics:

Maple Syrup

Mention maple syrup to me and I’ll have visions of stacks of pancakes and waffles oozing with butter and syrup. This syrup is high in minerals and the taste is wonderful; it shouldn’t only be associated with calorie-loaded breakfasts. As with all other natural sweeteners, beware of the “maple-flavour” syrups. They can be as much as 97% corn syrup!

Basically speaking Maple syrup is made by taking the sap of a maple tree and boiling it down to evaporate the water and increase the sugar content. There are two main types of syrup (though this depends on what country/state you are in), A and B. A is lighter and best for topping pancakes whilst B is darker with a fuller flavour making it better in baking. Neither grade is better than the other though and there seems to be no hard and fast reason why some maple syrup is dark and some light. Part of the reason is when during the sugaring season the sap is taken, but the rest appears to be luck. If you know more on the subject however, we’d love to hear from you!

Honey

One of the easiest natural sweeteners and one of the best loved (but non-vegans!). It’s rich in enzymes and has some minerals and vitamins. You should beware of cheaper brands of honey though, which may well contain sugar or corn syrup. Honey can be used anywhere sugar is used, though the flavour will be different.

I’m guessing most people know honey comes from bees, and certainly conventionally produced honey doesn’t take much account of the bee’s welfare, which is why vegans don’t use this sweetener. Organic honey and/or small scale honey manufacturers do take better care of the bees, ensuring there is always enough honey left in the hive for the bees. Whether this is acceptable for a vegan or not is always up to the individual.

Blackstrap Molasses

Molasses have been around for a while but it’s only now, as we become aware of the dark side of sugar that it’s starting to regain popularity. It’s made by removing the white crystal sugar from sugar cane and condensing the nutrients down into molasses. For this reason molasses are a good source of iron, calcium, riboflavin (B2), Thiamine (B1) and niacin. Oh, and for those of you who have always wondered, ‘blackstrap’ refers to the grade of molasses.

Agave Syrup

see the article

Barley Malt

This is made from sprouted barley and unlike blackstrap molasses has a mild sweet flavour. First barley grain is sprouted, then dried. The dried sprouts are then boiled to make a thick, dark syrup. This is particularly good for baking.

Brown Rice Malt Syrup

This is a thick and fairly sweet syrup made by cooking brown rice for a very, very long time. Similar to Barley Malt Syrup but made from rice. This is favoured by people following a macrobiotic diet.

Conversions:

Maple Syrup 1/3 to 1/2 cup = I cup sugar, reduce other liquid by 1/4 cup.

Honey 1/2 cup = I cup sugar, reduce other liquid by 1/4 cup.

Blackstrap 1/2 cup = I cup sugar, reduce other liquid by 1/4 cup.

Agave 1/2 cup = I cup sugar, reduce other liquid by 1/4 cup.

Barley Malt 1 – 1 and 1/2 cup = I cup sugar, reduce other liquid by 1/4 cup.

Brown Rice Malt 1/2 – 1 cup = I cup sugar, reduce other liquid by 1/4 cup.