Text 2619, 50 rader
Skriven 2006-06-30 20:13:24 av DAVE SACERDOTE (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av GLEN JAMIESON
Ärende: TASTES 875  60630
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GJ> What about the sugar from sugar beet?  Is that in 
GJ> competition with HFCS?

Beet sugar is very comparable to cane sugar, but it much less 
economically important in the US.  Maryanne's grandfather used
to grow sugar beets during WW2, and bartered his crop in exchange
for a small portion of the sugar it yielded.  Because he had that
small truck farm during the war, he was able to swap eggs, milk,
and sugar for gas rations. [g]

GJ> On checking through my mainly US-sourced recipes, I find that 
GJ> about 5% of them include one or more variants of corn syrup - 
GJ> "light", "white", "dark", "Karo", etc.  Are all these Satan's 
GJ> semen, or are some that of lesser demons?   (I have tasted the 
GJ> differently sourced maple syrup, which is delish!)

First of all, Karo is a brand name.  We'll get back to that in a sec.

There are basically two colors of corn syrup available to the
American market: "light" (aka "white") which is sort of colorless
{but may have a slightly yellowish tinge) and "dark" which is very
brown, like molasses (but of corn.)  The difference in flavor is
negligible - the color is simply due to caramel coloring - but
some recipes prefer a different coloration for aesthetic reasons.

Once upon a time, all the corn syrup sold here was just corn syrup.
Today, it is possible to get simple corn syrup (glucose syrup) if
one purchases small brands or private label product.  But if one
purchases corn syrup labeled with the largest brand in the country,
Karo, it will be primarily high-fructose corn syrup.

Regular glucose syrup has its uses, as does maple syrup. I have no 
quarrel with it.  I dislike HFCS because of the studies linking it
to increased incidence of diabetes and obesity, its presence in 
foods where it really shouldn't be, the anti-competive nature of
the corn industry which keeps sugar producers at an artificially
unfair disadvantage (and restricts sugar imports from third world
countries where sugar is an important cash crop), and because it 
takes loads of additional processing to change corn syrup into
HFCS.  

GJ> If recipes are to be believed, corn syrup has been around 
GJ> for yonks.

Absolutely, but HFCS has not.

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