Molasses vs Treacle
Sugar is a wonderful ingredient in our food items and life without it would be hard to imagine even. Can you live without your chocolates and deserts or even colas, leave aside the cookies and shakes and the coffees? There are different kinds of sugars such as golden syrup, molasses, treacle, common sugar, caster sugar, and so on. People remains especially confused between molasses and treacle, and there are also people who say that they are actually the same form of sugar. Let us take a closer look at these two sugars called molasses and treacle.
Molasses
Molasses is the thick and dark colored viscous liquid that is obtained during extraction from sugarcane. The consistency and the color of this liquid are dependent upon the pressure employed, the age of the sugarcane plant being extracted, and the method of making sugar. The cane of sugarcane starts to produce liquid when it is cut or crushed. The juice that is obtained by crushing the cane is boiled to make it concentrated and viscous. This syrup is boiled several times and produces what is called molasses.
Treacle
The process of sugar extraction from sugarcane involves boiling of syrup or juice obtained from the cane of sugar several times. The first boiling of the juice produces syrup that is not called molasses, but rather it is referred to as cane syrup in US. This cane syrup has a very high content of sugar, and it is only after second boiling that the syrup starts to taste a bit bitter. This is because of sugar extraction from the syrup. It is the second boiling of sugar that produces molasses or second molasses as some people refer to it. It is the third boiling of cane syrup that produces a flavorful substance called blackstrap molasses. By this time, most of the sugar content of the syrup is gone as a result of crystallization and removal of sucrose. Despite containing a very little sugar, this form of cane syrup has many minerals and vitamins. This is why this product is often sold in the market as a health supplement. In UK, this syrup is also known as treacle or the Golden syrup whereas, in US, it is referred to as blackstrap molasses.
What is the difference between Molasses and Treacle?
Extraction of juice from cane is a process that continues a number of times, and the extracted syrup is also boiled every time. With every boiling, some sugar is lost because of crystallization of sucrose. Though the viscous liquid obtained after boiling is referred to as molasses, it is the syrup after third boiling that is called treacle or blackstrap molasses. In fact, this syrup has very little sugar content and very dark in color. Despite being low on sugar, treacle contains many vitamins and minerals. Treacle and molasses are very strong in flavor with treacle being stronger than molasses.