Ingredient: Sugar - Golden syrup

Category: Sugars & Syrups

Season: All

Golden syrup is a thick, amber-coloured form of inverted sugar syrup, made in the process of refining sugar cane juice into sugar, or by treatment of a sugar solution with acid.

Golden Syrup has a sweet, rich, distinctive buttery flavour. It can be used just as it is, spread on bread or poured ice cream or pancakes, but in Britain has always been widely used baked goods and desserts, in particular the famous treacle tart, flapjacks and treacle pudding.

It can also be used in many savoury recipes calling for sweetness, in particular sauces and glazes.  It can be used as a substitute for corn syrup in most recipes It is used in a variety of baking recipes and desserts.

It has an appearance similar to honey, and is often used as a substitute for people who cannot eat honey and those who choose not to (such as vegans). It can also be used as a substitute for corn syrup.

Use it in syrup puddings, flapjacks, biscuits and cakes.

Treacle has a richer colour than golden syrup, and a stronger, slightly bitter flavour.

In most recipes, do not substitute Black Treacle for Golden Syrup as the flavour will be too overpowering.

Golden syrup is widely available in India, United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, but harder to find in North America outside of Western Canada and Louisiana, where it often appears in Cajun cuisine.

One of the best known UK brands is Lyle's Golden Syrup, made by Tate & Lyle.

The other UK sugar company, British Sugar, makes an equivalent product under its Silver Spoon brand.

In South Africa, the most popular brands are Illovo Golden Syrup and the locally produced Lyle's Golden Syrup.

In addition to the classic Golden Syrup, several flavoured versions are also marketed, notably Maple flavour.

In Australia, CSR Limited produces a popular golden syrup, and Chelsea Golden Syrup has been a household name in New Zealand since the late 19th century.

Rogers Golden Syrup is available in Canada.

Lyle's Golden Syrup is also available in Canada.

King brand syrup, a mixture of corn and invert syrup, is sold in many areas of the United States, often grouped with table syrups like maple syrup.

Specialty stores or those with international sections, such as Wholefood Markets, often stock Tate & Lyle from the UK.

In Germany, golden syrup or Zuckerrübensirup (literally "sugar-beet syrup") is a popular spread, especially in the western part of the country around Cologne.

The best known producer is the Grafschafter Krautfabrik which has produced golden syrup for more than 100 years.

German golden syrup is almost always made from sugar-beet (therefore the name Zuckerrübensirup) and golden syrup from sugar cane is extremely rare on the German market.