Korean Sugar 한국 설탕

White Sugar, Light Brown Sugar, Dark Brown Sugar

Sugar (also called Table Sugar) is a sweet, white crystalline or powdered substance extracted from sugar cane and sugar beet; it is used especially as a sweetening agent in food and drinks. When it comes to baking, sugar is one of the most important ingredients we use.

There are many different types of sugar. Some of these are used only by food industries and professional bakers and are not available in supermarkets. The types of granulated sugars differ in crystal size. Each crystal size provides unique functional characteristics that make the sugar appropriate for a specific food’s special need.

Here in Korea, you can find different kinds of sugar. But there are mainly two major types in the market -- “Regular” or White Sugar and Brown Sugar.

“Regular” or White Sugar, as it is known to consumers, is the sugar found in every home’s cupboard, and most commonly used in sweetening our morning cup of coffee, baking, and home food preparations. It is the sugar called for in most cookbook recipes. White sugar has had all of the naturally present molasses refined out. The fine crystals in white sugar are ideal for bulk handling and not susceptible to caking. So it is perfect for measuring, sprinkling onto food, and dissolving into drinks.

Brown sugar has a pleasurable flavor. The two types of brown sugar, Light and Dark, refer to the amount of molasses that is present. Dark Brown Sugar has a deeper color and stronger, rich full flavor than Light Brown Sugar.

The lighter types are generally used in baking, sauces and glazes, and in making butterscotch; while the darker types make it good for richer foods, like gingerbread, and other full-flavored foods.

White Sugar & Brown Sugar

Aside from the two main sugars, there's also Confectioners or Powdered Sugar, Muscovado or Barbados Sugar, and Liquid Sugar or Sugar Syrup, which can also be found at Korean supermarkets or groceries.

Confectioners or Powdered Sugar is a granulated sugar grounded to a smooth powder and then sifted. It contains about 3% cornstarch to prevent caking. Powdered sugar is ground into three different degrees of fineness. The confectioners sugar available in supermarkets is the finest of the three and is used in icings, confections, and whipping cream. The other two types of powdered sugar are used by industrial bakers.

Muscovado Sugar or Barbados Sugar is a British specialty brown sugar. It is very dark brown and has a particularly strong molasses flavor. The crystals are slightly coarser and stickier in texture than the brown sugar.

Liquid Sugar or Sugar Syrup is a white granulated sugar that has been dissolved in water before it is used. This type of sugar is often used in various Korean dishes, whose recipes require sweeteners or sugar to be dissolved.