Panela or dried whole sugar cane juice is well-known in central and south America. It comes from the process of boiling the extract of the sugarcane. It is mainly produced in small sugar mills, generally, cooperatives.
Sugarcane (saccharum officinarum) was firstly introduced in Colombia with the Spanish colonisation of south America back in 1600s. This plant comes from New Guinea where it was discovered by indigenous people in wild plantations, and it was chewed to enjoy their sweetness.
Panela is widely used in the Colombian cuisine for sweeten cakes, cold and hot drinks. It is also part of the Venezuelan, Mexican, Bolivian, Peruvian and Ecuadorian gastronomy. Dried sugar cane receives many other names depending on the region it comes from.
| Country | Name for Dried Whole Sugar Cane Juice |
| Colombia, Venezuela | Panela |
| Mexico | Piloncillo |
| Central America | Papelon |
| Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador | Chancaca |
Since the ‘panela’ is not refined, its nutritional properties are wider than sugar. Minerals such as calcium, copper, magnesium, potassium, iron, among others remain in the product as well as vitamins namely A, C, B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6.
Have you ever tried it?
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