This mellow, bittersweet syrup is the secret ingredient to your favorite English desserts and savory-sweet roasts. Use it to bake mouth watering fruit cake, rich gingerbread, glossy toffee pudding, or as an unforgettable glaze for slow-roasted vegetables and meats.
Flavor and Appearance
There are two main varieties of treacle: light and dark. Light treacle is golden in color and buttery sweet with a slightly bitter finish. Its sweetness isn’t as concentrated as other sweeteners, such as corn syrup or sugar, due to the lack of sucrose. Dark treacle, meanwhile, is thicker with a rich, warm black hue. Its flavor is less sweet than the light variety and has a more pronounced bitterness with an almost salty undertone.
Production
Treacle is made from the liquid byproduct of sugar production. First, the juice from sugar cane or sugar beets is extracted and boiled to create sugar crystals. The liquid leftover from this process is again boiled until the remaining sucrose content crystalizes. The resulting sugar crystals and syrup are separated with a centrifuge and the syrup is then filtered and treated to create glossy, smooth treacle.
Uses
Treacle is a star ingredient in classic English desserts such as treacle tart, toffee pudding, gingerbread cake, fruit cake, and more. Its bittersweet flavor helps create instant depth in sweet flavor profiles while mellowing out warm spices. When used in baked goods, treacle also imparts an addictive chewy moistness.
But treacle isn’t just limited to the dessert menu; it can also be used to create stunning savory dishes. Incorporate treacle in your sauce or marinade for slow-cooked ham, roasted carrots, or roast beef. The treacle harmonizes strong flavors and cooks down into a luxurious sticky glaze.
Varieties
Light Treacle
Light treacle, sometimes referred to as golden syrup, is amber-colored and translucent with a delicate buttery sweetness rounded out by a touch of bitterness.
Black Treacle
Also known as blackstrap molasses, black treacle is a dark and viscous syrup with a deep bittersweet flavor. Black treacle is boiled three times, a longer period of time than its golden counterpart, which results in a thicker texture and less saccharine taste.
Feature Image: Flickr user johnjoh (CC BY-SA 2.0)