Sorghum Whiskey & SucratFoodlore & More is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Sorghum came into the United States from South Africa in the 1850s—15 varieties shipped fro South Africa by sugar planter Lawrence Ray to Governor Hammond of South Carolina. A tall grass, related loosely to sugar cane, Sorghum bicolor grew sturdy canes with a bushy seed head surmounting the stalks. In South Africa the seeds were used as a food source, often milled into a flour, or the seeds boiled in a porridge. Sorghum seed proved fermentable, and sorghum beer remains a favorite consumer beverage. Wray had read the chemical analysis of the cane juice by a French chemist testing Chinese sorghum and realized it was sufficiently high to serve as a sugar substitute if processed. So he sought out the sweet cane varieties to ship to Carolina for test plantings.
ISSUE 85, SPIRITS, Part 4: Sorghum Whiskey
ISSUE 85, SPIRITS, Part 4: Sorghum Whiskey
ISSUE 85, SPIRITS, Part 4: Sorghum Whiskey
Sorghum Whiskey & SucratFoodlore & More is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Sorghum came into the United States from South Africa in the 1850s—15 varieties shipped fro South Africa by sugar planter Lawrence Ray to Governor Hammond of South Carolina. A tall grass, related loosely to sugar cane, Sorghum bicolor grew sturdy canes with a bushy seed head surmounting the stalks. In South Africa the seeds were used as a food source, often milled into a flour, or the seeds boiled in a porridge. Sorghum seed proved fermentable, and sorghum beer remains a favorite consumer beverage. Wray had read the chemical analysis of the cane juice by a French chemist testing Chinese sorghum and realized it was sufficiently high to serve as a sugar substitute if processed. So he sought out the sweet cane varieties to ship to Carolina for test plantings.