Bye-bye Sugar – see you Honey

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Sweet(s) thoughts on former fondness

This morning I took a small glass bowl out of the kitchen cupboard. I needed a container for a breakfast treat. As I looked at the bowl, I remembered its origins. Once upon a time, this little thing was filled with a dessert, ready to eat and beautifully packaged.

The next thought I had was of the taste of its former contents, and it made me cringe. While I still like the dish itself, I wouldn’t want to eat it in a version as sweet as the one that used to be in the jar. The reason is that about two years ago we made a change in our family’s diet. Some members had problems with chronic inflammation (including myself) and reducing sugar or replacing regular sugar with alternatives was part of the measures.

Now I don’t like sweets as much. My taste has changed completely. Not for the worse, I think, because I’ve become much more open to different flavors in certain foods that used to fit only one description: must be sweet. Also, the great ‘sugar-down’ has taught me that there are actually many forms of sweetness, not just one. And they are all flavors that must be carefully selected and dosed, or the whole dish becomes a mono-gourmentary (I love that word, I just made it up).

So, as with all great love relationships, both partners must evolve or it will eventually end.

Alternative sources of sweet:

  • Dates – cut into small pieces, will thicken dish when heated, only about 70% sugar
  • Other dried fruits (e.g. apricots, figs) – add sweetness (or counteract salty or strong spices)
  • Bananas – the older the better (wildcat look), mash. Will thicken dish, when heated (can also replace eggs, see my post [NoegkX – No Fun?’])
  • Date Syrup – fruity sweet taste with a hint of honey, needs time to dissolve
  • Rice Syrup – excellent substitute for regular sugar, just tastes sweet (don’t overdo it, it will overpower the sweetness, as will artificial sweeteners, so I always mix it with another source of sweetness)
  • Pear Syrup – fruity sweet taste, a little sweet and sour like. Good to round out the sweetness, do not make it the only source of sweetness
  • Agave Syrup – grounded sweet taste, not really sweet like sugar. Good for adding a little sweetness to cooked dishes. Taste stable even when cooked.
  • Date sweet/sugar – nice form of sweet. Needs extra time to dissolve and will thicken dish (even in cold form).
  • Coconut Blossom Sugar – a little more caramel taste. Works well with cacao dishes and spicier foods. Should be sifted and needs time to dissolve. Really good with baked goods.
  • Honey – do not use to sweeten, just to round out the flavor. Do not heat (will change the flavor).

… there are actually many forms of sweetness, not just one

Side Notes:

  • I know there are many other sources of sweetness, but I have not personally tried them, and most of the time I am not looking to replace sugar, but to add a certain note of sweetness and round out the dish.