Types Of Sugar
Sugar is basically a sweet soluble carbohydrate which can be a monosaccharide (simple sugars like fructose or glucose), disaccharides or polysaccharides like sucrose which is used commercially.
The sucrose that is used commercially is produced by two methods:
- By crushing the stems of sugar cane. This produces molasses, thick sweet sugary syrup which then under goes different stages of refinery and purification to give it a clear solid crystal stage.
- By crushing the beet roots and fermenting it. This produces molasses accompanied with the release of alcohol as a by-product.
In market various forms of sugar are available. Mainly it is either sold in solid form or in the form of syrups. Most commonly it is used in its solid form. Basically there are two major types of sugar: white sugar and brown sugar. These types of sugars are sold in many forms in market.
White Sugar
White sugar is sold in following forms:
Raw Sugar
Raw sugar as the name suggests is a raw form of solid sugar. It still contains some of the molasses and it is not refined to a point where it completely crystallizes to form clear solid white crystals of sugar.
Because of its semi liquid and solid state raw sugar has a unique taste but it is not as common as other kinds of sugar.
Granulated Sugar
It is the most common type of sugar used. This is the pure crystallized form sugar consisting of large white solid crystals.
It is sold as cubes or caster sugar which consists of comparatively smaller white crystals. It is the sugar that we use to make every sweet dish and is the most common sweetener in the world.
Icing Sugar or Powdered Sugar
Powdered sugar or the icing sugar is another common type of sugar which is basically the granulated sugar crushed to a point when its crystals reduce to a powder form.
This powdered sugar is mixed with corn starch and sold in the market as the icing sugar. This sugar is commonly used in frosting recipes and for the making of cake icings.
Types Of Honey
- Honey
Honey is naturally produced by the enzymatic action of bees on the nectars of different flowers. These bees extract nectars from the stigma of flowers and take them to their hives where they reside.
Coarse Sugar
Coarse sugar is more of a decorating sugar and used less as an ingredient for a sweet dish. It has large rounded crystals produced artificially. Coarse sugar is sold in different colors in the market.
Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is completely different from the above-mentioned sugars. It is brown in color and moist in texture.
It is produced from the molasses extracted from the sugar cane and does not go through different stages of refinery and crystallization. It also has fewer calories as compared to the white sugars.
There are many types of brown sugar available in the market but mainly there are two forms: moist powdered form or in solid form.
The moisture in the brown sugars runs out if exposed to air and it dries out to form hard brown stones of sugar. It is commonly used in India where it is called ‘jaggery’ or ‘gur’.
Following are the different forms of brown sugar:
Demerara Sugar
Demerara brown sugar is the most commonly used form of brown sugar. It is light brown in color and has large golden brown crystals.
It has a slightly sticky texture as some of the molasses is still adhere to the crystals. It is used commonly as a sweetener for tea, coffee and many liquid drinks.
Types Of Olives
- Olives
Although there is a large variety of olives that is cultivated and sold in the market, there are mainly two types of olives; black and green olives. The rest are the further varieties of the two types.
Muscovado Sugar
Muscovado sugar is a special British brown sugar which is very dark in color.
This brown sugar just like the Demerara sugar has a sticky texture but unlike the Demerara it has a strong flavor of molasses. Also it is a bit stickier and its crystals are coarser.
Turbinado Sugar
Turbinado sugar has a light brown color and is mild as compared to the other types of brown sugar neither does it have a very sticky texture. This is the raw form of brown sugar.
Free Flowing Brown Sugar or Sticky Browns
Brown sugar is also available in liquid form known as sticky browns or free flowing browns. It is basically a purified form of molasses.
Types Of Flowers
- Flowers
Hibiscus is the Chinese rose and has over twenty shades. Blooms almost all year round. Any garden seems dull without this excellent bush that will take root even when a branch is planted in the soil. - Types Of Roses
Rose is one of the most beautiful flowers in the world. It is famous for its fresh appearance and beautiful smell. Different rose also have different meanings on different occasions.
Types Of Other Food Items
- Types Of Rice
Rice is the most important and the consumed cereal grain of the world. It is the second most cultivated grain after maize in the world and more than half of the worlds population consumes this cereal. - Types Of Apples
From the time when they were originated, almost thousands of years ago in Kazakhstan, to the present day apples have traveled a long way.