is a fine-grained

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

sugar, traditionally made in the

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

prefectures of

Tokushima is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 728,633 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,146 km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the nort ...

and

Kagawa may refer to: * , the smallest prefecture of Japan by area, located on the island of Shikoku * , a district in Kagawa Prefecture * , a town located in Kagawa District * , train station in Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture * Kagawa (surname) Kagawa (w ...

, centered to the towns of Kamiita-cho and Donari-cho in Tokushima, where it has been made since about the 1770s. The sugar is often used for Japanese sweets (). The sugar is made from thin sugarcane plants (''

Saccharum sinense ''Saccharum sinense'' or ''Saccharum'' × ''sinense'', synonym ''Saccharum'' × ''barberi'', sugarcane, is strong-growing species of grass (Poaceae) in the genus ''Saccharum''. It is originally cultivated in Guangzhou, China where it is still c ...

'') grown locally in Shikoku, called or (locally known as ).

Use

It is a light golden colour, with granules slightly larger than icing sugar, and has a unique aroma and flavour, with butter and honey overtones. is used in making sweets and , as a coffee and tea sweetener, in dipping sauces at sushi restaurants, and in baking at home. A grade of the sugar called is considered by some people to be the highest grade.

Production

The traditional manufacturing process of involves 8 stages, and takes roughly 20 days as a whole. The sugarcane is harvested between December and February. It is harvested late in the year on purpose, to allow the sugar content of the cane to develop to its maximum, as the variety of sugarcane used produces less sugar than other varieties used elsewhere in the world. The cane is pressed by machine to extract its juice. The juice goes into a tank; the crushed canes are used as cattle fodder, or

fertilizer A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...

. The juice is then brought to a boil and boiled for about 30 minutes, producing a green foam, which is removed, as it contains a bitter green

lye A lye is a metal hydroxide traditionally obtained by leaching wood ashes, or a strong alkali which is highly soluble in water producing caustic basic solutions. "Lye" most commonly refers to sodium hydroxide (NaOH), but historically has been u ...

. At the end of this process, the juice is a light yellow coloured, and is allowed to stand to allow sediment to settle to the bottom. The clarified juice is drained off, then boiled again to condense it, then cooled. The juice develops a light brown colour. It is allowed to stand for one week, during which time it mostly solidifies into crystalline masses. These solids are wrapped in a cloth and squeezed in a pressing tub for a day to press liquid out of those solidified pieces. The pieces are then washed and kneaded with water 4 or 5 times, to refine the sugar in them and make it whiter.The World of Sugar. In Shosha Magazine. Tokyo: Marubeni. Summer 2003. Page 3 The pieces are then dried quickly so that the sugar does not ferment, and then crushed and

sieve A sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift, is a device for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet materia ...

d into a fine sugar.

Use

Production

References

Further reading