Sugarcane juice
Encyclopedia
Sugarcane juice is the juice extracted from pressed sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...

. It is consumed as a beverage worldwide, and especially in regions where sugarcane is commercially grown such as Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

, South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

, and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages  – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

.

Evaporated cane juice is a loosely defined term which can include combinations of sugars including glucose
Glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...

, and fructose
Fructose
Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a simple monosaccharide found in many plants. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galactose, that are absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion. Fructose was discovered by French chemist Augustin-Pierre Dubrunfaut in 1847...

. It is less processed than bleached white sugar. Nutritional benefits are minimal; evaporated cane juice contains trace minerals and vitamins but has the same amount of calories as table sugar and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...

 defines evaporated cane juice as any sweetener derived from sugar cane syrup.

India

This is a popular drink in India especially in states such as Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It is known as "Oosacha Ras" or "Ganneka Ras" in Maharashtra in Marathi and Hindi accordingly ('Ras' translates to 'juice', where as the former in both terms, 'Oos' and 'Ganna' translate to 'Sugar cane'. It is called Roh in eastern Punjab. People usually like this drink in the summer months. Some other additives are added to the fresh juice like lemon,ginger, mint, and ice. "Oosacha Ras" vendors are commonplace all year round in the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra. People also can find this drink along the roadsides in Punjab from mid March to the last of October. Most of the vendors do prepare fresh juice quickly on demand.

Pakistan

Sugar cane juice is the national drink of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, where it is called Roh and more commonly referred to as "gunney ka rus". It is sold by roadside vendors, and is always fresh, as the juice begins turning black very quickly due to oxidation. It is sold in glasses with or without ice.

Hong Kong

Street vendors began offering sugar cane juice in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 in the 1970s. Its popularity led to bottled sugar cane beverages being sold in supermarkets like PARKnSHOP
PARKnSHOP
PARKnSHOP is one of the two largest supermarket chains in Hong Kong, the other being Wellcome. PARKnSHOP operates more than 260 outlets in Hong Kong, Macau, and Mainland China....

.

East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar

In Zanzibar street vendors crush sugar cane with small amounts of fresh ginger.

Vietnam

Sugar cane juice, called nước mía, is very popular in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

 as a refreshing drink in the hot Vietnamese climate. Kumquat juice
Kumquat
Cumquats or kumquats are a group of small fruit-bearing trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, either forming the genus Fortunella, or placed within Citrus sensu lato...

, a citrus, is often added to balance the sweetness. It is available at most small street stalls, and is often sold alongside other popular Asian beverages. It was common for sugar cane juice to be sold in small plastic bags filled with ice, with the open end attached around a drinking straw by a rubber band. It is now more commonly sold in white foam cups.

Brazil

In Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, sugar cane juice is called caldo de cana or garapa
Garapa
Garapa or Caldo de cana is the Brazilian Portuguese term for the juice of raw sugar cane. Sugar cane juice is consumed as a beverage worldwide, and especially in regions where sugarcane is commercially grown such as Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Latin America...

 and is usually served with lemon.

Egypt

In Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

, sugar cane juice is called aseer asab (Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic is the language spoken by contemporary Egyptians.It is more commonly known locally as the Egyptian colloquial language or Egyptian dialect ....

: ʕɑˈsˤiːr ˈʔɑsˤɑb عصير قصب) and is by far the most popular drink served by almost all fruit juice vendors, who can be found abundantly in most cities. It is a very refreshing midday summer drink.

Indonesia / Malaysia / Singapore

In Indonesia and in Malaysia also, sugar cane juice is called air tebu. In Bahasa Melayu
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

, "tebu" is sugar cane and "air" is water. It is sold throughout the nation especially among street vendors. It is also bottled for local distribution in some regions and sold at food courts daily. In Singapore, food courts also sell sugar cane juice but not on streets. Both countries use electronic pressers as it is easier and faster. The Chinese community in three countries also prefers to call sugar cane juice "Gam Jia Zui" which means "Sugar Cane Water" in the Chinese dialect of Hokkien
Hokkien
Hokkien is a Hokkien word corresponding to Standard Chinese "Fujian". It may refer to:* Hokkien dialect, a dialect of Min Nan Chinese spoken in Southern Fujian , Taiwan, South-east Asia, and elsewhere....

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