Civil War Sweetener - Sorghum

Sorghum Arrives in America

The first sorghum arrived in North America on slave ships.  Sorghum is an ancient grain that was cultivated by the Egyptians.  In America it was used as livestock fodder and by enslaved people for food with its juice used to make syrup as a sweetener, an alternative to expensive sugar. 

Civil War

During the Civil War, the northern blockade of southern ports begun in 1861, caused many food shortages.  The Civil War scarcities led to replacement crops — chicory root for coffee, field pea mash for flour.  Among the scarce items was sugar.  Northerners  wanted to avoid supporting the sugarcane industry in the South and chose sorghum. Southerners turned to sorghum in place of cane sugar, because it was cheap and plentiful in the south.  

Sorghum is a grain that grows tall like corn.  From a distance it looks like corn. 

However, you’ll find no ears and there is a reddish tinge to the leaves, stalk and ripe seed head. Stalks stand up to 10 feet tall.

Sorghum holds a sweet juice extracted by crushing the cane. That sweet juice is then reduced until it runs slow as molasses, but boasts a deeper, more complex flavor. 

The Camel of Crops

Sorghum  is known as “the camel of crops” because it doesn’t need much water and grows in soils other grains won’t. It's a plant for tough times, and tough places.  

Much of the world is turning hotter and dryer these days, and it's opening new doors for sorghum.  Some farmers are looking for crops that aren't so "thirsty".  Aquifers are getting lower in areas, and crops such as corn need much more water than sorghum. Compared with corn, for instance, sorghum needs one-third less water, and it doesn't give up and wilt when rains don't come on time. It waits for moisture to arrive.

It flourishes in dry areas.  It’s an important crop in dry areas such as Ethiopia.  It is used to make a popular Ethiopian flatbread, injera, beverages, and feed farm animals.

Sorghum is Trendy

Sorghum has become a "trendy" food.  Sorghum is naturally gluten-free.  Some sorghums are high in antioxidants, which are believed to help lower the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease.  It is an ancient grain relatively untouched by modern agriculture.