Okinawa Black Sugar

Okinawa Black Sugar, or Kokuto as it is called in Japanese, is a wonderful ingredient to have in your spice cupboard. It has a complex flavour of molasses, smoke, spice and a little bitterness that balances the sweet. You can quite often find this type of sugar in savoury recipes, especially stews, marinades and stir fry. The unique flavour comes through with notes of caramel and tobacco, enriching dishes immensely. You can use Okinawa Black Sugar in any recipe that calls for sugar, savoury or sweet. Simply substitute half of the white sugar with it to add a more complex sweetness along with the other flavours.

An age old sugar

This authentic Japanese sugar is made using traditional practices dating back to the 17th Century. Only sugar that goes through this process, using sugar cane from the islands of Okinawa can go by the name Okinawa Black (or brown) Sugar. This particular example of sugar comes from Hateruma Island, the Southernmost of the Okinawan islands. They say that the mineral rich soil there makes for the richest flavours within the sugar.

The mineral content of Okinawa Black Sugar is very high, having over 500 times the potassium and 200 times the calcium of white sugar. It is also high in iron, and has more so than spinach! Along with all the antioxidants it contains, you can enjoy it knowing it’s doing you some good! Please note – The sugar can have big chunks in it which will need breaking up before use.

Nutritional Information/ 100g

• Energy/kcal – 354
• Energy/kJ – 1481
• Protein (g) – 0.6
• Fat (g) – 0.0
• of which Saturates (g) – 0.0
• Carbohydrate (g) – 94.3
• of which sugars (g) – 91.8
• Salt (g) – 0.02