Rapadura is a natural alternative to refined white sugar.
Rapadura is the name for dehydrated sugar cane juice. In the United States it is sometimes called "organic whole cane sugar." It is a type of unrefined sugar available in health and natural food stores and while it is not a sugar substitute (because it is a sugar, itself), it is healthier to consume than refined sugar or corn syrup. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Production
To produce rapadura, pure juice is extracted from sugar cane and evaporated over a low heat while being stirred. This process results in a hard block of unrefined sugar, which is sometimes sold this way but often ground up.
Difference from Other Sugars
Rapadura is never spun to form crystals and the molasses is not separated from the sugar, so rapadura has a darker color and a grainier texture than typical refined sugar. The Indian sugar called jaggery is similar to rapadura in that the molasses and sugar are never separated, but jaggery is cooked at a higher temperature than rapadura. In all other forms of sugars, such as sucanat, turbinado and organic raw sugar, the molasses and sugar are separated during processing and then reblended.
Health
Because of the very limited amount of processing and the low heat involved, rapadura retains most of the vitamins and minerals of the sugar cane (see the Resources section for a comparison of the nutrients in rapadura to those in raw and refined sugar). Rapadura retains its natural balance of glucose, sucrose and fructose, the three types of carbohydrates that make up sugar, while refined sugar is made up entirely of sucrose. Rapadura is easier to digest and metabolize than refined sugar and will not raise blood sugar levels as much as refined sugars. That said, rapadura is still a sugar and should not be used in excess; the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recommends no more than 8 tablespoons (32 grams) of sugar per day.
Uses
Rapadura can be used anywhere you would use refined sugar. One cup of rapadura is replaceable for one cup of sugar, so no calculations are necessary for the substitution. Because of the molasses content, rapadura may have a slightly different taste than refined sugar.
Availability and Cost
Rapadura is more expensive than refined sugar because it is often produced in Latin American countries through fair trade programs. It can be found in natural sections of large grocery stores, in local health food stores or online and is available in bulk or even in chocolate, soft drinks and juice.
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