• Page 1: Sugar Terms A & B
• Page 2: Sugar Terms With C
• Page 3: Terms With D To G
• Page 4: Terms With H To M

• Page 5: Terms With N To R
• Page 6: Terms With S
• Page 7: Terms With T To Z

DATE SUGAR

A sweetener made from ground, dehydrated dates.  It is is high in fiber, and is a good source of vitamins and minerals, including potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and phosphorus. Date sugar is used in baking and to sprinkle on foods, but does not dissolve when added to liquids.

DECORATING SUGAR &

DECORATIVE SUGARS

These two terms are often used inter-changeably. However, decorating sugar refers to sparkling coarse sugar, and decorative sugar refers to sugars made in decorative shapes—hearts, snowflakes, shamrocks, etc.

Decorative sugar snowflakes. Photo courtesy King Arthur Flour.

DEMERARA SUGAR

A specialty raw sugar that takes its name from the Demerara colony in Guyana, which was the original source of this type of sugar (today it is grown elsewhere, including the sugar-rich island of Mauritius). It is normally medium brown in color, the natural color of cane sugar, different varieties can be more golden. It has a rich aroma and a crunchy texture and a mild molasses flavor. In Europe it is typically enjoyed instead of white sugar, with coffee, cereal, sprinkled on fruit and yogurt. Its sparkle lends it to decor atop cookies, cakes and bread puddings.

Demerara sugar available at Chef Shop.

DOUGHNUT SUGAR or NON-
MELTING SUGAR or SNOW SUGAR


A product similar to confectioners’ sugar that doesn’t melt as easily, so it can be used on doughnuts and other pastries.

EVAPORATED CANE JUICE

Evaporated cane juice is a more nutritious alternative to refined sugar. Both are made from sugar cane, but evaporated cane juice is not highly processed like refined sugar does, and retains more of the nutrients of the sugar cane.

EXTRA-FINE GRANULATED SUGAR

Standard table sugar or granulated sugar.

Doughnut sugar. Photo courtesy King Arthur Flour.

FRUIT, FRUIT JUICE & FRUIT
JUICE CONCENTRATE


Puréed fruit, such as applesauce, and fruit juices are used as healthier alternatives to refined sugars. The recipes rely on the natural fruit sugar (fructose). Fructose is broken down by the body slowly and has a very low Glycemic Index (GI 23) relative to cane sugar (table sugar, or sucrose).

FRUIT SYRUP

Fresh fruit is slow-cooked with sugar, corn syrup and water to create a fruit-flavored simple syrup. For commercial products, citric acid is generally added to preserve the color. The syrups are used in every way any syrup is used: as a condiment, general food and beverage flavor accent and a food garnish. See our favorite Robert Lambert fruit syrup, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.

Robert Lambert fruit syrups. Photo by Melody Lan | THE NIBBLE.

GLAZING SUGAR

Made for doughnuts and sweet breads, glazing sugar is specially formulated to dry firm, fast and glossy. It is like confectioners’ sugar, but without the added starch. You can use it anywhere you’d use a confectioners’ sugar glaze.

GLUCOSE SUGAR

A simple sugar also known as grape sugar or corn sugar; it is found in grapes and honey, among other sources. In cooking terms, in Europe, corn syrup is referred to as glucose, and pure liquid glucose is available in supermarkets in Europe, but is harder to find in the U.S. Light corn syrup can be substituted.

Photo of glazing sugar courtesy King Arthur Flour.

GOLDEN ICING SUGAR

An unrefined specialty sugar with a natural honey color and a more rounded flavor, used for butter cream, cake fillings, dessert pastry, icings and meringues.

GOLDEN SYRUP

An amber-colored, multipurpose syrup popular in the U.K. that is used for baking and as an ice cream and pancake topping. Made from evaporated sugar cane juice, it is a by-product of the process of obtaining refined crystallized sugar. It is thicker and more flavorful than light corn syrup.

Lyle’s is the best known brand of golden syrup. With his three sons, Abram Lyle bought two wharves in East  London in 1881 and constructed a refinery for producing Golden Syrup. In 1921 the company merged with rival Henry Tate to become Tate & Lyle.

GOLDEN BROWN SUGAR

Light brown sugar.  See brown sugar.

GOLDEN CASTER SUGAR

A light, unrefined, superfine sugar and an alternative to refined caster sugar. It has a subtle buttery taste, that can be used instead of refined white caster (superfine) sugar in shortbread, meringues and sponges.

Unrefined golden caster sugar. Photo courtesy Baking Mad.

GRANULATED SUGAR

Granulated sugar is white refined sugar (pure white crystalline sucrose) ground to granules or grains. Most of the original flavor and color compounds are removed during processing. It is generally available to consumers in three sizes of grain (size of the crystal). Table sugar typically has a grain size about .5mm; this type of sugar is also called fine granulated sugar, regular sugar, standard granulated sugar and table sugar. Superfine sugar has a grain size of about .35mm (it is called caster sugar in the U.K.). On the other end of the spectrum, coarse-grained sugars, such as sanding sugar, are much larger, and the bigger surface area of the grains enables them to sparkle.

Granulated sugar. Photo by Anne-Mette Pedersen | SXC.