Chancaca

= Chancaca = Chancaca is a natural sugar cane juice in a solid form. You can buy it in a block that is a dark brown color. It has been a tradition in Peruvian cooking for ages and it is still used in their foods today. Sugarcane is grown all over Peru by farmers and shipped into the center of Peru to mills to be juiced. Brown sugar is very similar to chancaca and is used in many places over the world including the United States. After about a year of growing, the sugarcane is sent to a special wooden mill called a trapiche that squeezes out the cane juice. The trapiche is operated by horses or oxen to crush the cane. The cane moves to a large pot and is put at a low boil as a three foot long spoon takes out debris. The cane is boiled for about half of a day or until it becomes a golden color and gets thicker, similar to molasses. Once the cane reaches the correct consistency, it is moved into molds for the product to dry and become chancaca. It is often melted and drizzled over picarones which are pumpkin and sweet potato donuts. You can find chancaca all over Peru. Plantation owners or small farmers also make it themselves. Large restaurants buy this from the mills and serve it with desserts as a sauce or dressing.

By: Lydia Reed