I have been thinking about sugar – plain white sugar, table sugar, sucrose. It’s constantly in the news these days and it is portrayed as a POISON, an evil, a toxic substance.
Some people are almost advocating that it should be an illegal substance. I become completely angered at such foolish talk. I believe that sugar is a fine food and an important part of our daily food supply.
In all fairness I must qualify all comments with the thought that all foods should be consumed in moderation and for those individuals that are diabetic, since we do not know if sugar contributes to or causes diabetes and / or elevated blood sugars, it is possibly very wise for diabetic persons to not use additional sugar. ( I say contributes or causes, because – remember we used to say that eggs and butter caused high cholesterol levels.)
Sugar, cane sugar or beet sugar, both are chemically the same, has been an important part of our food supply. Sugar has made many foods much more palatable and enjoyable to eat, which has resulted in persons eating a larger variety of foods and consuming more vitamins and minerals.
Sugar has many additional attributes. It is and has been for years, important in food preservation. Curing meats with a dry mixture of salt, sugar and spices or smoking meat, which is usually rubbed with salt, sugar and spices and then smoked or using a brine -a solution of water, salt, sugar and spices. All methods basically inhibit the growth of bacteria to make the meat safe to eat. In so doing the methods also add flavor and moisture and tenderize the meat. Sugar is an important part of these processes.
Pickling is a method of preserving vegetables and fruits. Pickling is adding the food to a vinegar solution at room temperature and holding for several days. The vinegar prevents bacteria growth. Sugar is important in pickling to balance the flavor of the vinegar and more importantly to strengthen the cell structure of the vegetables and fruits, making them more firm. Otherwise the vegetables and fruits may end up as “mush”.
Sugar is also important in canning and freezing of vegetables and fruits. Through osmosis, sugar enters the cells of the food items and replaces some of the water but prevents the remaining water from leaving the cells and thus maintains the shape and size of the cell walls and of the vegetable or fruit. The sugar also helps the food item to retain its color.
Sugar is a natural preservative and prevents spoilage in jellies and jams and delays spoilage in fruits and other foods it is in.
Sugar cookery is very interesting and explains additional characteristics of sugar. Boiling sugar solutions may be varied so either crystalline (like fondant and fudge) or non crystalline candies (like caramels -which are chewy- and brittles -which are hard- are formed. Caramelizaion occurs when sugar is heated to a temperature above its melting point.
Caramelization of meat and vegetables occurs in sautéing when the food is cooked at a high temperature and the sugars and starches brown the food and add desired flavor.
Adding sugar to tomato and vinegar mixtures, such as barbecue sauces and salad dressings, balances the strong acid taste and enhances the flavor.
Sugar glazes on vegetables, fruits, meats and over baked goods adds flavor and retains moisture.
Sugar is a tenderizer as it weakens the gluten structure in flours and creates a finer and more tender texture in baked products.
Sugar helps as a creaming agent incorporating air with the fat or shortening in cake batter and other mixtures as the fat breaks the gluten strands and tenderizes the product.
Sugar helps in maintaining structure in beaten egg whites.
Sugar is essential in precipitating the pectin to form a gel in making jellies and jams.
Perhaps before we start restricting and condemning the use of sugar, we may like to think about the palatability of our food, the many ways sugar helps in food preservation, it’s many means of creating a variety of desired tastes, and the invaluable role it has in baked goods, desserts and candy making.
