Treacle

Treacle(/ˈtriːkəl/)^[1]is any uncrystallisedsyrupmade during the refining ofsugar.^[2]^[3]The most common forms of treacle aregolden syrup,a pale variety, and black treacle, a darker variety similar tomolasses.Black treacle has a distinctively strong, slightly bitter flavor, and a richer color thangolden syrup.^[4]Golden syruptreacle is a common sweetener and condiment inBritish cuisine,found in such dishes astreacle tartandtreacle sponge pudding.

Etymology[edit]

Historically, theMiddle Englishtermtreaclewas used byherbalistsandapothecariesto describe a medicine (also calledtheriacortheriaca), composed of many ingredients, that was used as anantidotefor poisons, snakebites, and various other ailments.^[3]Triaclecomes from theOld Frenchtriacle,in turn from (unattested and reconstructed)Vulgar Latin*triacula,which comes fromLatintheriaca,^[5]thelatinisationof theGreekθηριακή(thēriakē), the feminine ofθηριακός(thēriakos), 'concerning venomous beasts',^[6]which comes fromθηρίον(thērion), 'wild animal, beast'.^[7]^[8]

Production[edit]

Treacle is made from the syrup that remains after sugar isrefined.Raw sugars are first treated in a process calledaffination.When dissolved, the resulting liquor contains the minimum of dissolved non-sugars to be removed by treatment withactivated carbonorbone char.The dark-coloured washings^{[clarification needed]}are treated separately, without carbon or bone char. They are boiled to grain (i.e. until sugar crystals precipitate out) in a vacuum pan, forming a low-grademassecuite(boiled mass) which iscentrifuged,yielding a brown sugar and a liquid by-product—treacle.^[9]

Black treacle naturally contains relatively high levels of sulphite (>100ppm, expressed in sulphur dioxide equivalent). These levels are deemed safe for the majority of the population, but some allergic and respiratory reactions have been reported particularly amongst asthmatics, so that the United States Food and Drug Administration requires that levels over 10ppm, i.e. >10mg/kg, be declared on the ingredients label.^[10]

In culture[edit]

A traditionalCornishfisherman's celebratory drink is "Mahogany", made from two parts localgin—now usuallyPlymouth Gin—mixed with one part black treacle.^[11]^[12]^[13]

In chapter 7 ofLewis Carroll'sAlice's Adventures in Wonderland,theDormousetells the story of Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie, who live at the bottom of a well. This confuses Alice, who interrupts to ask what they ate for sustenance. "The Dormouse again took a minute or two to think about it, and then said, 'It was a treacle-well.'" This is an allusion to the so-called "treacle well", the curative St Margaret's Well atBinsey, Oxfordshire.^[14]

In chapter 10 ofThomas Hardy'sTess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented,Car the Queen of Spades carries a glass bottle of treacle in a basket above her head. The bottle breaks and the syrup pours down her backside. Tess laughs with the others present but Car is angry at her.^[15]

TheArctic Monkeys' 2011 albumSuck It and Seefeatures a song entitled "Black Treacle",in which singerAlex Turnercompares the night sky to sticky black treacle.^{[citation needed]}

In theHarry Potterbook series, treacle tarts, puddings, and other variations regularly appear as one of Harry's favorite desserts, and are noted as present during many of the Hogwarts feasts.^{[citation needed]}

In theDiscworldseries of fantasy books byTerry Pratchett,the dwarfs work in treacle mines. They are sometimes buried in treacle when a particularly rich vein of treacle is unexpectedly encountered.^{[citation needed]}

In the animated series Futurama, Bender the robot offers to recreate Philips favorite candy. During the cooking process, he adds treacle, explaining because it reminds him of his grandmother.

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

^"treacle,n.",in theOxford English Dictionary,Oxford: Oxford University Press.
^"Treacle Origins and Uses at recipes4us.co.uk".Archivedfrom the original on 2018-10-03.Retrieved2008-03-31.
^^a ^bOxford DictionaryISBN 978-1-85152-101-2
^"Definition of TREACLE".merriam-webster.Archivedfrom the original on 2010-04-10.Retrieved2010-10-12.
^theriacus Archived2020-02-03 at theWayback Machine,Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short,A Latin Dictionary,on Perseus
^θηριακός Archived2020-11-25 at theWayback Machine,Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott,A Greek–English Lexicon,on Perseus
^θηρίον Archived2021-04-28 at theWayback Machine,Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott,A Greek–English Lexicon,on Perseus
^"Treacle".Oxford Dictionaries. Archived fromthe originalon August 5, 2015.
^Heriot p 392
^Bindu Nair and Amy R. Elmore, Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Sodium Sulfite, Potassium Sulfite, Ammonium Sulfite, Sodium Bisulfite, Ammonium Bisulfite, Sodium Metabisulfite and Potassium Metabisulfite,International Journal of Toxicology22(Suppl. 2):63–88, 2003, page 67,[1]Archived2022-05-17 at theWayback Machine
^"Mahogany Recipe from England".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-12-13.Retrieved2014-12-13.
^"Gin Brandy Beer and Treacle".theoldfoodie.Archivedfrom the original on 2014-12-13.Retrieved2014-12-13.
^"Cornish Drinks Recipes - Food from Cornwall".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-12-16.Retrieved2014-12-13.
^p14,Oxford in English literature: the making, and undoing, of "the English Athens"(1998), John Dougill, University of Michigan Press,ISBN 0-472-10784-4.
^Hardy, Thomas."Phase the First: The Maiden".Retrieved13 March2023– via Wikisource.

Bibliography[edit]

Heriot, Thomas Hawkins Percy (1920).The manufacture of sugar from the cane and beet.London: Longmans, Green and co.

External links[edit]

"Treacle".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 27 (11th ed.). 1911.
Old 'Recipes4us' page "Treacle Origin"Archived2018-10-03 at theWayback Machine
CSR Sugar company of Australia – Treacle
Sugar Australia website – refiner and marketer for CSR limited.

[1] "treacle,n.",in theOxford English Dictionary,Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[2] "Treacle Origins and Uses at recipes4us.co.uk".Archivedfrom the original on 2018-10-03.Retrieved2008-03-31.

[OED-3] Oxford DictionaryISBN 978-1-85152-101-2

[4] "Definition of TREACLE".merriam-webster.Archivedfrom the original on 2010-04-10.Retrieved2010-10-12.

[5] theriacus Archived2020-02-03 at theWayback Machine,Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short,A Latin Dictionary,on Perseus

[6] θηριακός Archived2020-11-25 at theWayback Machine,Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott,A Greek–English Lexicon,on Perseus

[7] θηρίον Archived2021-04-28 at theWayback Machine,Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott,A Greek–English Lexicon,on Perseus

[8] "Treacle".Oxford Dictionaries. Archived fromthe originalon August 5, 2015.

[9] Heriot p 392

[10] Bindu Nair and Amy R. Elmore, Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Sodium Sulfite, Potassium Sulfite, Ammonium Sulfite, Sodium Bisulfite, Ammonium Bisulfite, Sodium Metabisulfite and Potassium Metabisulfite,International Journal of Toxicology22(Suppl. 2):63–88, 2003, page 67,[1]Archived2022-05-17 at theWayback Machine

[11] "Mahogany Recipe from England".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-12-13.Retrieved2014-12-13.

[12] "Gin Brandy Beer and Treacle".theoldfoodie.Archivedfrom the original on 2014-12-13.Retrieved2014-12-13.

[13] "Cornish Drinks Recipes - Food from Cornwall".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-12-16.Retrieved2014-12-13.

[14] 14,Oxford in English literature: the making, and undoing, of "the English Athens"(1998), John Dougill, University of Michigan Press,ISBN 0-472-10784-4.

[15] Hardy, Thomas."Phase the First: The Maiden".Retrieved13 March2023– via Wikisource.

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