It is hard to find a house anywhere in the world that doesn’t have sugar in the pantry, but in Egypt, molasses is the number one sweet treat. This is particularly true of Upper Egypt (the southern half of the country), the site of many sugar cane plantations.
Also referred to as black treacle, molasses is formed as a byproduct of refining sugar cane, according to Raef Abdul Salam, who discusses his family business in a recent interview.
Abdul Salam’s father ran a plantation and sugar cane mill in Upper Egypt, and when he died, the family decided to split up the business. One son runs the plantation, another oversees operations at the mill, and Abdul Salam is the salesman.
He packs ceramic jars filled with a mix of sesame paste and black treacle and rides around Cairo on a motorbike. One jar fetches just $1.07.
Cheaper than honey, according to Abdul Salam, but packed with calories, the sticky sweet molasses is a staple for Egyptian families. But it is also has other applications.
Cleopatra’s beauty secret?
Egyptians love sugar cane molasses, referred to in Arabic as asal eswed (“black honey”), for its sweet taste, and also its perceived health benefits. These are believed to include strengthening a person’s immune system and helping to treat anemia.
Used in beauty products, such as hair strengtheners, and in pastries and sweets, such as jallab, molasses is said to be a natural cough suppressant, and also wards off anemia and indigestion.At least, that is what his father used to say.
What is Jallab concentrate?
Jallab is a syrup that is sugar and molasses based and rose flavored. This Levant born drink is a perfect sweet treat on Arabic nights. Sadly, sugar cane production has declined in recent years as more farmers are using their land for more profitable crops, says the salesman, yet molasses remains in rich demand.
While regular refined sugar has repeatedly shown itself to be a natural enemy of the body, black treacle is one of the few sweeteners that have nutritional benefits. It is a source of iron and calcium and also contains potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and selenium.
There is an old piece of wisdom, says Abdul Salam. “If you want to live a long life, you should take four spoonfuls of black treacle a day.”
Update to 2023, a Nature study shows that are health risks from consuming molasses, which potentially increases epileptic seizures. Folk wisdom may be true when we had a very different unprocessed diet and non-GMO food and less meat. Taking bits of the best research to confirm why you eat a lot of meat, drink red wine and eat molasses may be a foolish thing to do.
:: Al-Shorfa
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
