SC - Sugar Stuff!

[Gedney, Jeff]

Mark Harris wrote:

> Then  Adamantius replied:
> > Sounds suspiciously similar to the syrup on Baklava, doesn't it? Sounds
> > like cane honey, too, given the translations of "mel sucre", etc.
> 
> Maybe. What are the translations of "mel sucre" and "mel de calamele" for
> those of us less educated in foriegn languages? So is this sugar syrup on
> Baklava made from just sugar and water?

Mel is honey, as in hydromel, a form of mead made from honey, water, and
some form of wild yeast. Sucre is a cognate of sugar, used in this case
as an adjective, meaning, more or less, sugar honey.

Mel de calamele is probably a caramelized sugar syrup. Calemele is an
old French word that is many cases denotes what we now call caramel,
meaning semi-burnt or partially oxidized sugar, which is why caramel is
brown. However the French "calamele" is derived from the Latin
"calamus", meaning cane or reed, so mel de calamele might not be
caramelized, but rather a simple sugar syrup, of a similar gravity of
thickness to honey.

The syrup found on baklava and various other pastries in the Middle East
and around the Mediterranean Basin is generally either honey with added
flavorings, such as rosewater and cinnamon, or sugar syrup with similar
flavorings, or sometimes a mixture of the two, suitably seasoned as
described.

Adamantius  
______________________________________
Phil & Susan Troy
troy at asan.com
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