In order to understand what aguapanela is, we must know a little about the panela. Panela is considered nourishment, it is basically sacarose and also contains glucose, proteins and minerals such as calcium and iron and vitamins.
Since colonial days panela’s importance has been growing. It started to be made in the northern South American countries when the sugar cane industry started. And since then many uses for this ingredient have been found.
Panela is the sugar cane juice, cooked at very high temperatures, making thus very thick molasses that is put to dry out until it gets to be solid. Once solid, it is cut into squares, In some cases, it is scraped and the new product is called raspadura or rapadura, and that new product is used mostly in different desserts or other dishes.
In Colombia (and also in Venezuela and Ecuador) the panelas are used in the preparation of a special drink, the aguapanela. Colombians are especially devout to it, and it is often present in their breakfast, or at any other meal. It is used to recover from bad colds adding lemon juice, in winter it is drank warm, in summer it is drank very cold. It is also drank by people who do sports, as it hydrates, refreshes and also adds calories for their sport practices.
Among the poor people, it is a highly nourishing drink that can be used at tea time, such as for breakfast whether with milk or not, since it can also be dissolved in the milk and thus a great breakfast can be made with it. It’s a great ingredient in the Colombian cuisine.
Even though it is mostly used by people who live in the countryside, and up to this day they count with the aguapanela to feed their children, it is one of the most popular drinks in all social classes in Colombia, and is drank at all times, in such a way that you can always find a teapot full of aguapanela in almost all houses.
Many other countries enjoy it too, and also with different additions, they get different drinks. Either oranges can be added, or different fruits. And one of the most exquisite ways to use it is by using it to dissolve chocolate balls and prepare the Santaferenian Chocolate. Another use of the aguapanela is making coffee with hot aguapanela. So we can say that there are hundreds of ways of using, drinking, and enjoying the delicious Aguapanela.
