Sorghum ain't like refined sugar

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The taste of sorghum syrup encompasses more than mere sweetness—it serves as a historical touchstone to an era when sugar wasn't a readily available commodity. The complex flavor profile, marked by earthy undertones and subtle hints of molasses and grain, connects modern consumers to a period when sweeteners were precious resources rather than everyday items on grocery store shelves. During this time, the production of sorghum syrup represented one of the few reliable methods for introducing sweetness into American cuisine. The process itself reflected the agricultural rhythm of rural communities, as draft animals circled wooden presses to crush the green sorghum stalks, extracting their valuable juice. This liquid would then undergo a careful transformation, simmering in large evaporator pans while  family, friends and neighbors maintained precise temperatures scooped out impurities, ultimately yielding the amber syrup that would sustain households through the winter months. Each bottle of sorghum syrup produced today stands as a testament to this heritage, documenting a time when the procurement of sweeteners required extensive agricultural knowledge,   communal effort, and considerable patience.  Today refined sugar has basically replaced sorghum syrup and while sweet it has no soul, no real taste and nothing to provide a sensory touchstone to the past.