Why Indigenous Panela Sugar Is So Expensive | So Expensive Food | Insider Business

Panela is beloved in Colombia, where it is a go-to sweetener over the more processed white sugar. It is a type of unrefined sugar where the molasses naturally present in the sugarcane are preserved, unlike refined white sugar.
The molasses gives the panela a more complex caramel flavor and makes it richer in minerals and vitamins. But this sweet nectar doesn't come cheap. In Colombia, depending on where it is made, panela can cost up to 17,000 pesos per kilogram. In the US, it can cost 20 times more than white sugar. So, how is wild panela made? And is this what makes it so expensive?
00:00 Intro
1:09 Sugar mill
02:31 Boiling sugarcane juice
05:28 Harvesting white sugarcane
08:39 How wild panela is sold
11:04 Competition with farmed sugarcane panela
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Why Indigenous Panela Sugar Is So Expensive | So Expensive Food | Insider Business

[@fernandoschuindt1665]

Here in Brazil we call that "rapadura" and it's not expensive at all. Also, I felt this is trying to pass an image of sugar cane being something traditional within the native people, which is not true. Sugar cane was introduced in the Americas by the Portuguese, and they in fact tried to and enslaved the Native Americans to produce it. That's how sugar cane meets the natives. This plant was brought from Africa and parts of Asia.

[@whymindsetmatters]

Of course it's cheaper where its produced.

[@zeramino]

This is true. Panela is very cheap here in Colombia too.

[@nathanbastos5628]

@@whymindsetmatters not always. We are all familiar with the Japanese produced stuff that are still expensive in Japan, I guess it’s more to do with low wages in Brazil, and then when they export it they put the price as high as they can so they can profit off of workers

[@magneticpupful]

Now there’s your TRUE story!

[@oldkingcrow777]

It says it's like $3 per kilo there. It reaches $40 in the US. but these things are like drug docs. They drastically inflate the prices. It's like when they say "Cokaine worth 5 million dollars" when that's if you took each gram of it and sold it for $200 🙄🤣

[@anishdeshpande5566]

We eat locally made Gur/jaggery/panela almost everyday in India, we love it

[@Bronanarival]

You also mix gur with poti of cow

[@MisterSiga]

is jaggery the same as panela ? i thought it was just for making mithai

[@rohitingle9477]

गुळ

[@ajeetban13]

​@@MisterSiga yes, & traditionally it was used instead of sugar. not just to make sweet. but per day to day consumption as well.

[@annodomino2126]

40 dollars for a kilo of foreign Gur 😂

[@jucaes27]

I didn't know panela is so expensive in the US! I consume it almost every day here in Bogotá (the capital city of Colombia). There's a traditional beverage that we Colombians prepare for breakfast or "onces" called Aguapanela (literally water + panela), which then is drinked with fresh cheese inside. And after coffee (1st) and hot chocolate (2nd), sure it's the most consumed beverage in the country. Thanks for sharing our food and our indigenous people and their culture

[@kpopaddict4382]

Same! Never knew it could be this expensive in Pakistan it's not even near this much here it is used so commonly and we call it gur

[@billyvon666]

Wow, I was born in Bogota Colombia. 1966 . My mom still drinks agua panela every day with a small Arepa.

[@thewillowspeak]

This isn't true at least where I am from. In the west coast you can find panela at any Hispanic supermarket really cheap.

[@jucaes27]

@@thewillowspeak i love to know that!! I was impressed by those prices they said hahaha

[@hidum5779]

how about adding some grounded cacao beans in that water + panela mixture?

[@vivachibchombia]

I'm colombian and a 1 kg panela block costs 3k COP, that's like 0.60 USD. But it doesn't make it less valuable and nutritious ❤❤

[@anoeticangel]

I love this series. I love seeing things that are expensive because of the skills and time and care that go into them as opposed to being expensive because of a label. The way this series let's me peer into the lives and experiences of people so far away from me, passionately keeping techniques alive, it reminds me that we are all connected and have so much to learn from each other if we only take the time to listen. ❤

[@Uryendel]

except 99% of the things they show are not expensive nor rare at all

[@sd-ch2cq]

I agree that it's fun to see a little slice of people's lives from all over the globe. But the show often hints that the people who are portrayed would rather have a bigger enterprise with some more machinery instead of doing everything by hand. And i like that: it feels like the show is trying to respect the hard work these people do, without romanticizing poverty.

[@Sonsbitchesall]

I agree :)

[@prtygrl5077]

It's just sugar jaggery, you can also make those in your home by melting sugar with water. Sugar IS made out of SUGARCANE, you du@!mb f!!ks 😂++.+.++..+

[@blessedbeauty2293]

- I agree, that's exactly why I love this channel as well. It's not expensive because it's a "name brand" it's expensive because of the pain staking work put into every single step.

[@ivanpineda9551]

I met the indigenous community as a child. Their traditions are everything to them. Maybe panela is cheaper in other regions in Colombia and the world, but this community depends on their crops since often they do not venture to leave the mountain or region.

[@prtygrl5077]

It's just sugar jaggery, you can also make those in your home by melting sugar with water. Sugar IS made out of SUGARCANE, you du@!mb f!!ks 😂+.+.

[@prtygrl5077]

It's just sugar jaggery, you can also make those in your home by melting sugar with water. Sugar IS made out of SUGARCANE, you du@!mb f!!ks 😂++.+.

[@benjamintafari7047]

​@Adam Fontenet please tell me that was a joke.

[@IonOtter]

I love that he's carrying the Poporo and Pallilo everywhere while he's speaking. (The gourd is for holding lime powder. The stick is dipped in the powder and applied to the coca leaves he's chewing, to release the active ingredients.)

[@wrxrcr1]

So he is high as hell?

[@yukinagato1573]

@@wrxrcr1 Coca leaves with some alkaline powder, when chewed like that, act as a stimulant that suppresses hunger, thirst, fatigue and, most important of all, altitude sickness. It's actually really helpful if you live in high altitude areas or you're trying to climb a mountain. These people were doing this for years...

[@turnipbeybladespinner7836]

@@wrxrcr1 they're high in the sky, physically and mentally.

[@treykaiza]

@@wrxrcr1 No, Gringo! Chewing on coca leaves is like drinking 4 or 5 Red Bulls but without the bloat and needing to use the bathroom every 15min .

[@IonOtter]

@@wrxrcr1 Nah. It's not enough to give you a buzz, and certainly not enough to get you high. But it makes it easier to live and work in high altitude. It also suppresses hunger and feeling cold, so it's pretty much an essential item.

[@nath7367]

As a colombian citizien, i feel so proud that our food is being known all around the world. Thank you insider for taking interest in such an important part of our gastronomy. Everyone is welcome to come to our country and drink "aguapanela".

[@jaredspencer3304]

I wish everyone knew about arepas. One of the best foods I've ever tasted.

[@butbunsin9044]

American is so rich to buy tribe products instead industry. It is ridiculous. Brain injure due to floyd god. ;)

[@hidum5779]

this is not your food lol. Sugarcane isn't even native to colombia. It was invented in India and is quite common in Asia

[@nofuturo]

​@@hidum5779Tomatoes, potatoes and hot peppers aren't native to India either so what is the point you are trying to make? Should Colombians claim all dishes made from these 3 ingredients as their own simply because they are native to our land?

[@hunterdragon7210]

⁠@@hidum5779 you didn’t invented it is a plant, and it is our food not because you have it too means that it is less ours

[@domeberlin4480]

i like sugar

[@flak8855]

Diabetes saying Hi

[@andrewweaver2517]

Oozempic is in short supply my friends. All the Hollywood types do lines of it between light yoga sessions.

[@redfailhawk]

Love how all the comments are from people talking about this product in their native cultures, including names, farming practices, and uses. It's incredible!

[@luiszavala2441]

In México is called piloncillo and is very cheap, 1 kg for about 4-5 us dollars, there are sweet bread made with this "conchas de piloncillo" and are very good with a glass of cold milk, like 0.50 USD a piece with a lot of calories but with fiber (about 300-400 kcal). They are made of sugarcane.

[@pavelow235]

Marranitos?

[@jaajames]

In Thailand, we also have unrefinded sugar made from sugar cane juices called Nam Tan Oi น้ำตาลอ้อย, so its pretty much same as "Panela". It only costs like 2.5 USD per kg.

[@MrArthoz]

While in Malaysia we made them from palm sap. Seriously what is so expensive I could never understand. Do they even know how to make them at all? Here the temperature goes as high as 32 Celsius and we make solid block just fine...no need for snow capped mountain cold air.

[@cheesecake7159]

So expensive, refined white sugar only cost $0.8-$1

[@samuel90497]

In Brazil it's even cheaper and it's called rapadura

[@MrCalthassio]

@@MrArthoz They make it using medieval methods, no wonder it's so expensive lol

[@prtygrl5077]

It's just sugar jaggery, you can also make those in your home by melting sugar with water. Sugar IS made out of SUGARCANE, you du@!mb f!!ks 😂+.+.+.

[@saraalvarezpeniche2691]

Here in Colombia panela is very important almost everyone consumes it, from rich to poor, of course the quality varies depending on the price, but panela is not only healthy but also is medicinal it helps to heal soar throats and helps the process of scaring in wounds, thats why we drink it when we have colds or need to recover energy in very high and cold places because it really helps, and of course panela is not as fattening as white sugar, and last but not least it tastes delicious, white sugar can not even compare, those who have tried the aguapanela that is only water and panela, can attest that is much better that water with white sugar.

[@makellbird2634]

I am a white man from the USA who is currently living in Bello Antioquia Colombia, about 20 mins north of Medellin… I use panela every day for my coffee. They also make a drink here that actually has seceral different names, but it's all the same thing… it's panela mixed with lime juice, and it's called aguapanela, guarapo, panelada, rapadura, piloncillo, and papelón (in Venezuela and Santiago de Chile)

[@AvadaPedrada]

Here in Brasil we call it rapadura, it's usually sold in rock hard bricks and also in powder as brown sugar called mascavo sugar. It sits nice with coffee and baked goods.

[@bvazdiniz]

And what they call honey, we call puxa here in Brazil… and it’s delicious!!!

[@anniechan6296]

In Honduras we also call it rapadura! It is usually used in desserts.

[@Error-pd5gi]

We also have that in the Philippines.

[@butbunsin9044]

American is so rich to buy tribe products instead industry. It is ridiculous. Brain injure due to floyd god. ;)

[@dabdabdabi5]

We also have this in the Philippines. We call it Muscovado sugar. But we don't usually mold it in blocks, rather, it's ground like regular sugar. Didn't know it was expensive in the Western world

[@Bri-tg6xr]

What was the yellow item with the rubbing stick at the end, the person was holding?

[@AndresRojas-pp9ky]

It's called "Poporo" a container used by the indigenous people when consuming coca or tobacco leaves. In it, they store lime, made from crushed seashells, that boost the effects of the leaves. After mixing the lime with the leaves in their mouths, they take out some with a stick and rub it around the edge of the poporo.

[@neilnicco]

That sweet little girl petting the cute mule who was enjoying it was my favorite part. My heart goes out to the mules who work so hard for their human families.

[@TardigradeSurviverofapocalypse]

It's called bella(ಬೆಲ್ಲ) in the province of Karnataka in indian subcontinent...we use sugar syrup and row sugar as well. During boiling process we do add stems of banana plant later we eat that stem with syrupy sugar...

[@crewneckdeath6801]

alemane

[@prtygrl5077]

It's just sugar jaggery, you can also make those in your home by melting sugar with water. Sugar IS made out of SUGARCANE, you du@!mb f!!ks 😂+++.+.+.

[@MyJuankmilo]

Panela can be found in almost all homes in colombia and this process has already been industrialized to make it almost as cheap as normal sugar.

[@bharat_thapa_]

*We make it here (Nepal) as well. It's called Guud* *It's not that expensive here (< 1$ per kg).* *funny thing is we use manual machine to extract sugar cane juice (need humans to run the machine) and it's very fun to do so and stay there for whole process (cutting canes, carrying them to extract juice, watch it cook, then finally watch your grand pa make the jaggery)* *I really love it*

[@Banzybanz]

Good quality jaggery (dark brown) is 90-100 Rs in Maharashtra. For 40-50 Rs you can get jaggery where they have mixed cheap sugar, it's not as good.

[@bharat_thapa_]

@@Banzybanz In my village there is no such thing as good quality or bad quality. We make jaggery as best as we can. But the product depends upon the sugar cane used. And the quality of sugar cane depends upon the type of land where it was planted. Sugar cane require lots of fresh water to grow (too much is also not good as sweetness can degrade).

[@hunterdragon7210]

Usually in Colombia it’s also very cheap since it’s made in factories, the video one is an artesanal one so it’s more expensive

[@himshaky]

Doesn't seem very rare, going by the comments. Every sugarcane growing part in the world seems to make something similar. Its jaggery in India and is slightly costlier (1.5 times) than white crystal sugar.

[@suhail802]

According to my mom, I need to stop doing so much jaggery and make something of myself.

[@swanchilds]

Yes. Very common around the world.

[@someadcstuff7670]

rapadura no brasil

[@de_anubis]

@@suhail802 hahaha

[@angeltabot3932]

Panutsa in the Philippines

[@anjumahajan4879]

This is exactly how jaggery is made, except for the fact that it is made from many types of sugarcanes

[@diwyanvithana1393]

That is Jaggery. Sugarcane isn't native to the Americas. This isn't some old indigenous technique.

[@pavelow235]

@@diwyanvithana1393 Tomatoes are native to South America, tell that to the Italians....as important as tomotoes are to Italian cusine...pretty funny.

[@yankydoodle454]

This is called Gur. We get this is in Pakistan and India.

[@ivanvalverde7018]

I like how the narrator pronounces Spanish words very well (by not using her accent, maybe). She demonstrated her best effort!

[@hunterdragon7210]

She tried, didn’t succeed but the attempt it’s what matters

[@dielawn8929]

I like how simple these videos are getting. Q- Why is it so expensive A- its not lol

[@zukacs]

no modern machinery and no scale is answer to every video

[@smylulula]

Good call😂

[@abhi]

marketing at work. someone commissioned this movie to be able to sell a cheaper (no doubt better than refined sugar) product for 20x premium price.

[@prtygrl5077]

It's just sugar jaggery, you can also make those in your home by melting sugar with water. Sugar IS made out of SUGARCANE, you du@!mb f!!ks 😂+.+.+++

[@paolabay495]

When I am in the Sierra with the Arhuaco community they always offer me their coffee with panela. It's divine!! I never put sugar in my coffee. The Sierra is paradise

[@ml.5377]

In Peru we have "chancaca" in round blocks and granulated panelas. Flavor changes by region of origin. A natural delicacy... Great job in Colombia.!

[@wallacegrommit1536]

I want that Panela.Those two keep on eating throughout the video 😂

[@Magus_Magistus]

in Brazil these are a common local candy, specially in rural regions. it costs around 2 usd for a ~700g tablet, which is super cheap for our standards (about the same price as white processed sugar). we don't use it as a sugar substitute tho, only as a cheap dessert

[@akane3549]

Here in the Philippines, panela is called "tubo". We have kinda the same process of making sugar cane sugar. Sugar cane juice could be use as a ferminted wine, we called "tuba" in Illonggo. We can also make candies out of it, like "butong-butong". Lastly we also make vinegar out of it. So you see, sugar cane has a lot of benefits and products to offer. It's an amazing plant.

[@joenielynm]

No. Panela in the Ph is Tinaklob/Panocha. Sugarcane is the one called "tubo".

[@gilbertotoledo1421]

Today, thanks to you, I learned that the Tuba is actually from the Philippines in origin. You see, its actually a popular drink in Mexico's western costal states. Apparently it was brought over from the Philippines during Spanish rule. I only learned this today when I read your comment and looked up if your tuba was related to the one in my country.

[@gieanngonzales]

Add to that the Muscovado sugar.

[@akane3549]

@@gilbertotoledo1421 you're welcome.

[@diegovillalobos5364]

In Costa Rica panela or "dulce de tapa" is a common item. I love having it in a hot beverage called "Agua dulce" with milk. One of the most delicious drinks you could ever have. Is very sweet and probably not very recommended if you are prone to become diabetic :(

[@ingGS]

Same in Colombia, we make “Agua de panela” (panela water) with lemon as a refreshment. It is also common to drop a little block of panela on hot coffee or milk for a delicious drink.

[@prtygrl5077]

It's just sugar jaggery, you can also make those in your home by melting sugar with water. Sugar IS made out of SUGARCANE, you du@!mb f!!ks 😂+.++.+.

[@pedrojorge4684]

Here in Brazil it is called rapadura, it is very common and made by people who live in the countryside, its sale is also very common and is easily found in shops at a cheap price.

[@MBezerra100]

It makes some very tasty ice cream too, if you ever get to try it

[@peterungson809]

That's Panutcha here in the Philippines. Back in the day they were molded into disc's & were sold as cheap snacks to children in far flung areas. As they say value is in the eyes, mind & taste of the beholder. Step up guys, cheap stuff in your country might be gold for others. Use the internet, grainy videos & a good story teller to promote your unique native foods!!!

[@michaeljunior1445]

Just another version of muscovado

[@dicklongstroke5414]

Panutcha. Panocha here in Northern Mexico. Mabuhay, pare!

[@mranonymous1547]

Here in Bangladesh we call it gur. It’s healthy and tasty than white sugar. Gur can be made of 2 kinds of raw materials one is sugar cane and other is from Date juice collected from date trees. It has been made thousands of years in Bangladesh.

[@gigameister321]

In Peru its called chancaca if whole and panela if powdered

[@Lasenggo]

I see this is where the name "sangkaka" as we call it here in the Philippines comes from. We normally have them molded on half of coconut shells .

[@emmanuelwekesa976]

In Kenya, its common in rural areas, its called "sukari nguru', or jaggery.

[@prodannedev5657]

I live in Cali, in the south of Colombia. Here are arguably the highest yieling sugarcane fields in the world. Panela is still sugar and it has A LOT of calories. I only drink the freshly squeezed sugarcane juice called guarapo here, and only when I'm out riding my bike for a least 50km. Diabetes is a serious problem in the country. I stopped putting sugar in my coffee and have lost 7kg in 3 months. I'd rather buy other products from the indigenous communities. Recently I bought a kg of fresh strawberries from a Misak lady for less than a dollar.

[@erdvilla]

In Mexico similar sugar is made into tiny pile-shaped triangles called Piloncillo or Panocha.

[@sewaprolo]

There are parts of Mexico that call it panela, too.

[@brotato654]

panocha 💀

[@jol9340]

​@@sewaprolo Panela is also a type of cheese in places of Mexico. It's similar to queso fresco but a bit more solid / not as crumbly.

[@sewaprolo]

@JoL I know, it's delicious.

[@juanpena8827]

Panela juice with lemon and ice cubes is the best refreshing drink you can have in a hot day. I'm Colombian that's how we drink it in the north part of Colombia. To all of you travelers, visit Colombia you won't regretted.

[@melsyoutube]

What a beautiful video showcasing a beautiful tradition ❤️ I’d love to try Panela some day, i hope they keep production going

[@thebookkeeper8551]

Panela isn't exclusive to Colombia, but can be found in many parts of Latin America.

[@nattobaby]

and in asia where its much much much cheaper

[@hunterdragon7210]

@@nattobaby It’s also cheap here in Colombia since it’s made in factories, the one in the video is an artesanal panela, since it’s handmade by indigenous communities the price is higher

[@danielmontilla1197]

There's a well known story about Colombian cyclists competing in Europe in the 80s. European athletes thought the little brown rocks the Colombians used to lick were some sort of exotic PED. It was panela, the sugar rush you get from it is insane, and at a lower health risk than with white sugar.

[@Columbograma]

Panela se hace en muchas partes de Colombia, además de la Sierra Nevada; donde se siembra la caña de azúcar suele haber trapiches. La panela es un alimento de la canasta básica familiar en Colombia, no es un alimento costoso a nivel local, incluso su precio puede estar por debajo del azúcar refinada.

[@agbottan]

Shhhh !! Don't tell it's cheaper because it's simpler. Let the gringos pay more for it. Jokes apart, I think that what made white sugar cheaper is the scale of production... huge industrial sugar factories. Perhaps brown sugar is naturally cheaper because it requires less process to be made.

[@sentimentalsoldier5837]

What are the sticks and the cone the guy has in his hands?

[@MiceAndMinecraft]

I’m hoping someone can answer this too

[@sxrxnnrr]

@@MiceAndMinecraft that's actually called a Poporo: "The Poporo is a gourd which contains powdered lime made by burning seas shells which the Kogi collect from the Caribbean coast and extract with a stick which is used to wipe the lime on to a wad of coca leaves in their cheeks."

[@SarahSmith-zj2ek]

@@sxrxnnrr Thank you!

[@MiceAndMinecraft]

@@sxrxnnrr thank you!

[@Johnnypsi]

Here in Brazil we have this 'sugar bricks', it makes part of our History since when we were a portugueses colony in the late xvi century. But here it doesn't cost that much. A 'sugar brick' like this we call it RAPADURA and one of it with half a kilo weight costs US$1,00 (one American Dollar) R$5,00 (five Reais - brazilian curency).

[@petraautio3498]

The scenery looks stunning!

[@crimsonstring588]

In Costa Rica we call it tapa de dulce and its barely consumed by the locals now that decided for more modern sweeteners or completely sugar free sweetners, I still buy it every month to make it into a liquid syrup that you can drink with milk or water and its called agua dulce

[@adrianvazquezguevara1148]

We call it piloncillo in Mexico, and we also use it as a form of sugar substitute. I think it may be known in many other countries mostly because it looks less industrial to make than the average sugar. Making it much more easier to make in remote places.

[@almacarrera4672]

yahh the same method in Phillippines.

[@user-wh5yp4rr6r]

This is similar to "jaggery" which is a very common sugar cane product known for ages and used in several food preparations even today. You can find this in any Indian grocery stores.

[@byronamh]

In the video they mention "agua panela" and it's literally that, panela and water. Some add a variety of mint, to make it more refreshing. If you add milk it's called "tetero", because its given to babies as an alternate to just milk in parts of the country. Lemonade is insane with panela as well

[@andreajimenez4240]

Proud of being Colombian🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴

[@AM-yi4dd]

It looks delicious, amigo 👍🏼

[@aleenaprasannan2146]

This is just the original sugar refining method that developed in India long before during Gupta period. It then spread to China and Middle Eastern through the silk route. Its really interesting to see the same process reached as far to South American indigenous communities.

[@shandev9879]

ആര് പറഞ്ഞു ?? source??

[@nofuturo]

Well, not very surprising when you take into account the role that the Portuguese and Spaniards played in colonizing the Americas. India received tomatoes, potatoes and chillies while the Americas got sugar cane and panela among many other things.

[@johnnation713]

I love sugar in the raw, and I think that we should treasure these isolated areas that can produce goods like these. I hope we can keep this treasure from going extinct like so many animals and other things that are literally disappearing by the day! I love this show and I would do whatever it takes to keep this alive in the areas it comes from!😊👍

[@prtygrl5077]

It's just sugar jaggery, you can also make those in your home by melting sugar with water. Sugar IS made out of SUGARCANE, you du@!mb f!!ks 😂..++.

[@malcolmbenjamin28]

These people are beautiful and majestic. There’s something pure about them.

[@rougemen4817]

This is gur / jaggery you'll find this type of setup in India in every village where sugarcane is grown by locals and beautiful thing which I feel that one documentary produced so nicely can promote the Panela industry so well that it will definitely create demand for panela as more and more people want to taste panela after watching this definitely a masterpiece although it's only gur/ jaggery 😂

[@Elmeatbolio]

Whoever thought of adding under fingernail dirt is a genius. Adds a whole other layer to the flavour.

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

That's what raises the price and makes it authentic. Saying the name with a native accent raises the price too.

[@sendoh7x]

They changed the thumbnail lol

[@ahg934]

We're do you think the minerals come from?

[@stdesy]

mmmmm…fingernail scum

[@octoberspirit]

It was so cool to learn about this. :3

[@justyahya7194]

It's great to know that for everything, there are multiple types like this sugar I would love to taste it one day

[@ann07ps49]

Weird..in my hometown of Java Island, this product is so cheap. Some 'naughty' farmer will mix it with the more expensive palm sugar and sell the product as palm sugar..the good thing about this hybrid sugar is the hardness will increase so it is easier to store. But the taste is considered lesser than the pure palm sugar

[@hunterdragon7210]

It’s also cheap here in Colombia since it’s made in factories, the one in the video is an artesanal panela, since it’s handmade by indigenous communities the price is higher

[@DKtrek21]

Absurd, we also have this in the Philippines. We call it dameg in my local language at it costs 50 pesos for a sphere of about 500 grams, just a little below a dollar. It's so good in coffee and sweet treats.

[@hunterdragon7210]

It’s also cheap here in Colombia since it’s made in factories, the one in the video is an artesanal panela, since it’s handmade by indigenous communities the price is higher

[@mattheww.joseph7728]

Pretty awesome knowledge that you on this channel KZbin. I am sure many other people enjoy reading, listening, and most of all - learning - Thank you . For the many reporters , to the author and/or researcher of this specific story, I am sure your many readers are pleased to learn about all of your stories. Please keep up with the great ideas, the interesting topics you present. With the wide variety of stories to be told, information to have learned, and what your topic content invites discussion be learned and wherever the story - just like the 4 Indigenous groups from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta lands. Thank you for your ideas. Thank you for your new knowledge of ideas. Bringing that up, I think we all appreciate your content and enjoy the new knowledge important the topics that you bring alive for discussion - for just that purpose. Knowledge is key; it allows for curious readers to want more - and - to do research of the topic on their own. With your specific topic, I have to open my mind allow myself to learn more about this specific topic. It promotes discussion with the curiosity of learning - to -want to research more and to learn from each of your video’s. Pretty awesome. Take care.

[@Incognit05]

Great piece. Respect to the people

[@infinite5795]

It's called Gurdaw( ଗୁଡ଼) in Odia and it's also prepared in India, we traditionally prepare such Jaggery from sugarcane, palm toddy and even coconut too, each with their specific names. They are very nutritional and used in a variety of sweet dishes or even balance the sourness of some dishes.

[@marccctv5631]

here in brasil we hv this in all stores, its called "Rapadura", can be mix with alot of nuts,guava paste,etc, the most thing we hv in brasil is sugar cane and coffe, its not expensive u can buy rapadura in all places here for maybe 2 dollars for 500gr/1 pound.

[@ayeshaclassesgk]

Nyc sir❣️Your videos are just getting better and better

[@boltonky]

Love seeing how things are made, but like many things the Mark up to sell overseas doesn't come back to the growers etc and if the growers/producers try to charge more someone whos making money will ruin them quick or buy there plantations which sure happens and then get forced to work for less (not every place is like this but the world goes round on poor peoples pockets but the richer prosper)

[@megamanx466]

Closer to say "on poor people's backs", but yeah. 😅

[@MrArthoz]

The so called marked up prices...this video seems like a scam for middle man to make astronomical profits. Look at the traditional brown sugar produced in India and Southeast Asia. It's cheap and plentiful everywhere and we even make it with palm sap. I used it daily for my coffee or milo. Same old western propaganda of local farming damaging the environment. The person in my town collect the sap from wild palm trees in the jungle and by river side...absolutely organic, environmental friend, healthy...and...cheap. Also we follow modern health and safety standard, none of this long blackened dirty fingernails dipping into the sugar of "indigenous traditional practices". Do we need to pay extra for revolting "extra" ingredients? People keep insulting Indians for being unsanitary...why don't I see anyone complaining? They are even chewing tobacco while making it. I can't see brown saliva drool on the corner of their lips. Don't even ask if they washed their hands or not. We in Asia could make solid sugar from sugarcane juice (jaggery) into solid cubes at high tropical temperature...what is this crap about needing snow capped mountain cold air? More like those people are backward and need to learn from more enlightened civilization how to make better traditional brown sugar. After all, sugarcane originated from India. Give them education and they'll make more money. Instead the old western practices of keeping "indegenous" people remaining backwards to be on display like in zoo or museum and make profit from their "traditional" produce.

[@honeyht3]

This is not so expensive in Pakistan, here it's called Gurr. And price is a little higher than sugar but not too expensive.

[@zeramino]

Here in Colombia is also very cheap.

[@Belioyt]

Thanks to the British Empire in Kenya we call it sukari gurru. Sukari is Swahili for sugar, Gurru is a loan word for gurr. People from the Indian subcontinent brought by the British to East Africa introduced it. Sugar cane is grown in the west of Kenya.

[@hunterdragon7210]

It’s also cheap here in Colombia since it’s made in factories, the one in the video is an artesanal panela, since it’s handmade by indigenous communities the price is higher

[@brunoazevedo1001]

This is also made in Brazil, very cheap here, called Rapadura… Delicious 😋

[@lazaruspinkman]

Same product in Bangladesh is call "Akher Gur" molasses of sugarcane and there is also sugar which is brown and healthier than traditional white sugar.

[@krono965]

A lot of people here don't seem to understand that the price of the product comes directly from the remoteness of the production site. Using the produce of a region that doesn't rely on adding fertilizer or additonal watering creates a plant that has to rely on itself to grow, as stated regular panela made from monoculture sugarcane is much cheaper. These types of varieties of plants (quasi-wild) usually have either more flavor due to the plants producing more chemical compounds needed to protect themselves=more flavor. Now it's up to everyone to decide if they think that additional flavor is worth the higher price as with anything related to food. This is a terroir prodcut. Also while yes sugarcane has a dark history, it is possible for a native community to take it in and make it a part of their culture. Generations have passed since the sugarcane was brought in, for these people it has become a way of life. Try telling italians tomatoes aren't an integral part of their cultural identity.

[@kenc2257]

Why are you saying this? The remoteness of the villages that produce this natively-made panela is well-covered in the video clip.

[@krono965]

@@kenc2257 there are tons of comments on here stating how in their country they make something similar, and how it only costs a fraction, as if they seemingly didn’t even watch the video. I know it was covered in the video, I reference it in the comment.

[@butbunsin9044]

American is so rich to buy tribe products instead industry. It is ridiculous. Brain injure due to floyd god. ;)

[@alkasingal]

Panela ( Gur in Hindi) is iron rich food. Very flavorful as well and used in various ways in India. Iron is main part of hemoglobin . Iron deficiency anemia is one of commonest type. Good to eat some Panela daily. It’s also good for digestion and stomach acidity.

[@pjacobsen1000]

Or you can eat spinach, which has twice as much iron as sugar cane juice for the same amount. In my understanding, spinach is a very commonly grown vegetable in India and should be easy to find.

[@cheetabis]

What a peaceful village. Simple living. Less stress.

[@muhammadanassiddiki5753]

The place is like heaven !! 😮❤❤

[@rioschala]

In Colombia, Panela is not that expensive. It can go from 1$ to less per kilogram.

[@misterhat5823]

To be fair, the per capita income in Columbia is 1/6 of the USA's. $1 would be like us paying $6, which means a Colombian may very well see it as expensive.

[@rioschala]

@@misterhat5823 My family produces panela locally and it’s unfair how prices vary from the very first buyer compared to how they sell it in big cities. Sometimes the difference is 6 times in the original price vs the reseller one.

[@teo2157]

@@rioschala middle men always take too much

[@Yunashelia]

You should maybe sell directly from the internet?

[@bernardosoutomaior]

Neither is it in Brazil, where we call it "rapadura". It is often cheaper then refined sugar -- at least on the coutryside.

[@LaNoir.]

13:06 what is the object he is holding?

[@AndresRojas-pp9ky]

It's called "Poporo" a container used by the indigenous people when consuming coca or tobacco leaves. In it, they store lime, made from crushed seashells, that boost the effects of the leaves.

[@LaNoir.]

@@AndresRojas-pp9ky Interesting, thanks for the insight

[@vishva8kumara]

In Sri Lanka we value Kithul (palm) Jaggery more than the Sugar cane variety. It has an unmatched rich taste. Meemure villege produces the best. It is usually molded into emtied coconut shells, but made into alumnium foil boxes for export. Byproduct is fermented to a booze.

[@ashman187]

A well produced video Claudia. :)

[@ekamsat429]

The words 'sugar' and 'candy' come from words in ancient Sanskrit, 'sarkara' (refined sugar) and 'khanda' (blocks or pieces of unrefined sugar a.k.a. gur) as India was a major innovator and exporter in the ancient sugar production and trade. Gur is still quite commonly used there and not very expensive.

[@vicmath1005]

@Ekam Sat Ancient Sanskrit? It is one of the biggest lies ever. Brahmins of the south of India created Sanskrit after 1750 CE. If you disagree, provide evidence. PS: Brahmins never provided literacy to non-Brahmins. The non-Brahmins were illiterate untill 1900 CE, and became literate because of the schools started by European missionaries.

[@megamaser]

@@vicmath1005 Let me guess, you also think the earth is flat?

[@vicmath1005]

@@megamaser Not at all. I do not subscribe to a 'binary' world. Instead I subscribe to a world where research and research-based evidence play a significant role. When The British Government set up an Indian manuscript collection exercise in the late 19th century, thousands of manuscripts were collected across India. The first 'veda' copy was part of this collection. It was not in Sanskrit. Amazingly Sanskrit contributed abysmally insignificant quantity/quality of writings to that collection. Almost no aged manuscripts! In the 20th century, many Sanskrit writings came to the fore. But all were modern writings. There were no manuscripts to prove their antecedents. You could be an avid follower of the revivalism that has been happening over the past 100 years or so. This revivalism claims lots and lots and lots of ancient knowledge, but not a single manuscript/inscription to prove it. I am not talking about the temple architecture since the 1200s, which is fantastic.

[@hunterdragon7210]

It’s also cheap here in Colombia since it’s made in factories, the one in the video is an artesanal panela, since it’s handmade by indigenous communities the price is higher

[@yashsharma1280]

@@vicmath1005 I think you're a Tamil ?

[@soumyadeepkundu6025]

Its locally clalled "gur" in India. And it doesn't cost us a kidney to buy it.

[@mylyric9044]

In Java we used to ferment sugarcane by cover it in a dark place or bury them in the ground for few day, it tasted sweet and sour and the colour will turn ivory with some red or orange strands

[@lexheart5877]

Wow that looks so yummy

[@michaelburns554]

Honey doesn't go bad, it only crystalizes, and you just have to put it in warm water to fix that. Honey lasts forever, literally over a 100 years

[@jasmonaye6933]

I was just about to type this lol

[@GraphixGoddess]

I thought this, at first, but they don’t mean honey from bees. They said they call the sticky version of Panela “honey.”

[@joelcannan7686]

They call the substance honey, but it's still melted sugar essentially.

[@Boyfrumpluto]

@8:58 oh good thing it can be stored longer! 2000 years from now when my honey expires i'll be sure to pick some up!

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

One day i would love to try this sugar. Would be an amazing culinary/cultural experiance.

[@TheLostBear78]

Agustin is living a very pure and true life. I feel deep envy.

[@emmanuelharbor2350]

Love this new form of sugar

[@karinec.2131]

How is it new….???

[@Daniel-But-Science]

New 😂

[@Vishal-joshi1998]

😂😂😂

[@hunterdragon7210]

Not really new

[@NoName-hi7qo]

Pilonsiyo? Honey found in the pyramids is still edible without side effects as it doesn't spoil. 🍯🐝🍯🐝🍯🐝🍯🐝🍯🐝🍯🐝🍯🐝🍯🐝

[@aliciakerr7639]

The honey in the pyramids is from bees. The honey in this video is from sugar cane.

[@SandyRiverBlue]

Wow, the forms that they are pouring the panela into are made of redheart. I bought a 12-inch stick (12"x2"x2") of this in the States, for a small project, for about $30. It's a very dense wood, iron-heavy, South American lumber with very fine grain that can put up with very high temperatures and pretty heavy use...it's the stuff that the US Army uses as a landing pad for moving tanks on and off trains. I ruined quite a few chisels getting mine into the shape I wanted. Pretty amazing that they are using it to make sugar.

[@arlaux]

"Lets say it sweetens us." Aw, thats really cute

[@DarkKnight-cd4dv]

It's called muscovado here in Philippines

[@NuthakkiPhani]

In India Jaggery is made the same way

[@johnboy11652]

This stuff is way better than then sugar I love picking up all the candies made with this at the Brazilian grocery store in town

[@beatpirate8]

That looks heavenly molasses.

[@Totalinternalreflection]

It's amazing how this channel gets away with getting so many facts wrong

[@LaughablePerson]

Examples from this video?

[@tomasdelatoba7572]

@@LaughablePerson the narrator said panela lasts longer than honey but honey doesn't spoil if it's stored properly and lots of people in the comments say they have something like panela where they live and that it's not that expensive so that is two pieces of misinformation I can find pretty easily.

[@pavelow235]

@@LaughablePerson Panela goes bad, gets crusty white spots all over, honey lasts forever.

[@iillegally]

It's a subsidiary of a news company after all, misleading people and ignoring facts for clickbait is what they specialize in.

[@530horace]

This series is slowly becoming "Why making XXXX (in the traditional method) is SO (much more expensive than otherwise modern and scaled methods) Expensive". While I'm not against the idea in itself, if there's nothing inherently more valuable in the product, you might as well just change the name of the series to "How OOO still produces XXX in the traditional way" instead.

[@ExtraVictory]

They already do that video series lmfao. It's called still standing, but these videos are usually on actually expensive stuff like Rolls Royce, cuban cigars, birkin bags, Japanese fruits etc. Sometimes they do stuff that is still cheap but more expensive than other brands of the same material, like 9 times roasted bamboo salt. Which is still very cheap, but a lot more expensive than regular table salt. This one just missed by covering something relatively cheap, but also isn't really that much more expensive than normal sugar.

[@Curuna2019]

I ate this in Nepal. Super cheap. Same price as white sugar. Rich Taste if used in black tea and other stuffs. They also have many types of sweets made from this. They call it 'Sakkhar'

[@hunterdragon7210]

It’s also cheap here in Colombia since it’s made in factories, the one in the video is an artesanal panela, since it’s handmade by indigenous communities the price is higher

[@Curuna2019]

@@hunterdragon7210 here it's also handmade and there's no factory 🏭 with machines to make this. They use wood and big utensils to make it here. But still cheaper than the one in the video. Maybe it's the value we put in things. You'll be amazed to know that people make distilled alcohols (whiskeys and rums) and they are also so cheap in comparison to international alcohols. For example a 150ml glass of it costs 0.11 USD 🤣🤣 and they still make a small profit

[@M3ganwillslay]

In Tamil nadu India it's called Vellam and the dark version from palmyrah tree is called Karupati . Much similarity between Latin America and Tamil nadu . Like ammi kal stone grinder and serape blankets ... North India doens't have similarity to South India ... Make u wonder if South India could have been a separate nation and developed faster .

[@iamsandhu8664]

Where you from?

[@alkaliaurange]

This type of sugar is common throughout India and much of the world, no need to use this as a point for tamil supremacy. People are tired of that nonsense

[@jayaryayoutube8650]

You need to grow some sense than sugarcane. I thought Tamil Nadu is known for it's education level, but I fail to understand why, if this is what you saying. Tamilnadu is ' PART OF BHARAT' and always will be. 🇮🇳🪷

[@divyanshmittal772]

This is nothing but a Jaggery used in India since ages, very healthy and tasty.

[@StealthyDead]

The answer to literally every single one of these videos: scarce resources, extremely labor intensive, or both.

[@nguyenhieunhi5828]

In Vietnam, we call it by sugar cane, and it come many form and many color. We use it for cooking or making traditional dishes. I'm not sure that the making process is the same in this video, but it very affordable, even cheap in the country scale.

[@hunterdragon7210]

It’s also cheap here in Colombia since it’s made in factories, the one in the video is an artesanal panela, since it’s handmade by indigenous communities the price is higher