History of Molasses

The name “molasses” comes from the Portuguese “melaço,” a word even further derived from the Latin word “mel.” Mel translates to “honey” in English. The closest thing we have to molasses is “melasus,” a word that was first documented in print in a Portuguese text about the conquest of the West Indies.

The history of molasses in the United States is one of great color and great tragedy. The molasses trade was part of a terrible trifecta of trade that also included rum and slaves. This brutal, cruel business of trading people for and with barrels of molasses and rum was highly profitable. Slave owners in the Caribbean would trade barrels of molasses for new slaves, and then the molasses would be taken to New England in what is now the United States to be made into rum. Some of this rum would be shipped back to Africa, a sad fact in human history.

Molasses was also part of some other historically significant events in American history, outside of the horrific slave trade triangle. In 1733, a duty was imposed on rum, sugar, and molasses from non-British colonies into North American colonies. This was to ensure a monopoly for the British West Indies sugarcane growers. This duty, called The Molasses Act of 1733, was advantageous for these sugarcane growers as they had previously been unable to compete with the non-British colony growers. The taxes were reduced in 1764 as they had been mostly ignored by colonists and the British wanted more complying from the colonists.

The Boston Molasses Flood of January 15, 1919 killed 21 people and resulted in over $1 million in damage to properties in Boston after 2.3 million gallons of molasses were dumped into Boston. This occurred when a steel vat full of molasses to be used for making rum and industrial alcohol for the war efforts of that time exploded. The clean up process after the flood took months.

Up until the 1880s, molasses was cheaper than white sugar and was the favored sweetener. It was considered a tasty sweetener to pair with salt. Between the end of WWI and the year 1919, consumption of white sugar per person nearly doubled. Today, molasses is a less popular sweetener as refined white sugar has become the number one in the country. In an interesting economic flip, molasses is now the much more expensive of the two sweeteners.

How is it Made?

Our molasses is made in a process called co-crystallization. This is a process where liquid sugar and liquid molasses are mixed together and then dried, allowing the crystals to form a bond and dry together. This is an advantageous process because it allows an intermingling of the molecules, forming true granulated molasses instead of brown sugar. Brown sugar is produced similarly, but the sugar is crystalized before the molasses is added, meaning the crystals are technically separate entities. This creates a different flavor profile.

What’s in it?

Our Granulated Molasses is made from Cane Sugar, Cane Molasses and Cane Caramel in a process called co crystallization.

Different Types of Molasses

Molasses is derived from the liquid leftovers that come from extracting the sugar out of boiled sugar cane. The first boiling process produces light molasses. The second produces a darker, more rich molasses. The third boiling process will produce Blackstrap molasses, the darkest and most richly flavored molasses. Our granulated molasses is made from the dark molasses that is produced through the second boiling.

Molasses can be made from sugar cane or from sugar beets. Our molasses is made from sugar cane.

Cooking with Molasses

Because of the stronger flavor of this granulated molasses, we recommend experimenting with smaller quantities and adding more on an as needed basis. You may be able to use it as a replacement for white sugar in some recipes, but in others it may taste out of place because of its rich, dark flavor. Again, do some tests and see what ratios work well for you.

This is the perfect molasses to use in shoefly pie or gingerbread cookies. It has a rich, though not overpowering flavor. It enhances apples, beans, barbecue sauces, bran muffins, caramels, chili, chocolate, coffee, frosted cakes, licorice, marinade, quick breads, tomatoes, and walnut-based dishes. It is also good in oatmeal and spice rubs. Baked goods cooked with a lot of granulated molasses tend to darken quicker. You may find that adjusting your cook temperature to 25 degrees less than what you usually bake on will help the goods bake more evenly. If you are cooking something you tend to bake on 400°F, try 375°F instead for a more evenly cooked finish. Keep in mind that this is only something you should do for a recipe with a large amount molasses in the ingredients, not for something that only requires a small amount. A large amount would be a half a cup or greater, perhaps for a cake. A small amount would be something like a teaspoon, which will have very little effect on the coloring.

What Does Molasses Taste Like?

Our granulated molasses has a rich, sweet flavor that compliments both savory and sweet dishes.

Substitutions and Conversions

If you are using this to replace liquid molasses, start with a 1 to 1 ratio. The process of creating granulated molasses leaves behind a very flavorful product, which you may find is stronger than you are used to. Experiment and see what ratios work for your particular tastes.

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