Fruit syrup

Fruit syrups or fruit molasses are concentrated fruit juices used as sweeteners.

Fruit syrups have been used in many cuisines:

• in Indian cuisine, drakshasava;
• in Ancient Roman cuisine, defrutum, carenum, and sapa;
• in Ancient Greek cuisine, epsima;
• in Ottoman cuisine, pekmez;
• in Greek cuisine, petimezi;
• in Arab cuisine, rub, jallab.

Some foods are made using fruit syrups or molasses:

• Churchkhela, a sausage-shaped candy made from grape must and nuts

In modern industrial foods, they are often made from a less expensive fruit (such as apples, pears, or pineapples) and used to sweeten more expensive fruits or products and to extend their quantity. A typical use would be for an "all-fruit" strawberry spread that contains apple juice as well as strawberries. Using concentrated fruit juices in this way is falsely believed to be more healthful than using refined sugars.^[1]

See also

Squash (drink)

Notes

1. Victor Herbert, et al., eds., Total Nutrition: The Only Guide You'll Ever Need, ISBN 0312113862, p. 127