Besides common sugar, in Panama it is a popular tradition to use two other sweeteners derived directly from the guarapo or sugar cane juice: sugar cane honey and raspadura, which I will tell you about.
The raspadura is still produced in an artisanal way in our country. Depending on the quantity being prepared, the process can take about 4-5 hours, not counting the time spent cutting and then grinding the cane.
To see firsthand the artisanal preparation, I visited Mr. Marcelino Morales in Rio Hato, who has been doing this for a lifetime.
When I arrived, around 6:00 a.m., he had already been grinding cane in the mill with the help of his horse for more than an hour.
Once we had extracted all the juice we would use, we began to boil it at 7:00 a.m. in a pot specially made to rest over an opening in the top of the wood-burning oven.
The guarapo is heated until it boils to the desired consistency to become raspadura. As it heats, the juice begins to release a residue that accumulates as a foam on the top. This residue is removed with a long wooden spoon. Traditionally, a bunch of bark from the guácimo tree is thrown in, which releases enzymes that attract the cooking residue, making it easier to remove with the spoon.
Shortly before the end, a touch of vegetable oil is added, which immediately pushes back the foam from the boiling honey and, upon removing from the fire, a little sugar is poured in to help crystallize the raspadura.
Marcelino then pours the mixture little by little into the molds where the traditional raspadura pastillas that will sweeten the lives of his customers will be formed.
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