Among the important food ingredients that have been gaining acclaim for their health benefits are the different types of sugars (including artificial and natural sweeteners).

The scientific and culinary importance of sugar and sugar substitutes has been given priority in recent years because of diabetes, its different complications, and the cultural, traditional, and medical fact that "sugar, or sugar-enriched food is a very important element of a person’s sustenance and dietary nourishment.

However, of the different kinds of sugars and sweeteners scientifically tested for proper nutrition, the muscovado is considered by most doctors and scientists to be the healthiest because it contains vitamins and minerals that are usually not available in most of the processed and refined sugar substitutes.

Because of modern medicine, there has been renewed interest in muscovado sugar which was considered traditionally as a "secondary priority" sweetener in cuisine, and our country’s viewpoint that it is just the poor man’s sugar.

In earlier times, processed and refined sugars were the most expensive. This changed with contemporary medicine; the humble muscovado—alongside commercial sugar-substitute brands—is now considered one of the high-priced sweeteners in the market. In some European countries it is considered rare and very expensive.

In 500 BC, sugar production via evaporating sugar cane juice was discovered in India and spread in China in 800 BC. Through expeditions and colonization, Westerners learned the process of obtaining sweeteners without the help of bees.

At first, sugar cane was chewed manually to extract its sweetness. Development soon started with the said countries when the refining method was discovered, starting with grounding, boiling and drying. The resulting product resembled blocks of gravel; reason why Chinese called it "rock sugar."

In the Philippines, the sugar cane was brought to Mindanao by the sailing vessels from Celebes four thousand years before the Christian Era and by the time the Spaniards came to the country, sugar canes were present in every region.

The Chinese brought to the Philippines rock sugar which they called cande (from the Hindu word Khanda which means sugar in solid form), which cost eight reales per 25 pounds.

During the early years of the Spanish Occupation, sugar production was already developed. Provinces like Pampanga and Negros became the prime producers of muscovado not only in the Philippines but also internationally.

Though muscovado from our country is of low quality, it still sold well especially when Americans allowed access to their market.

By 1929 the demand for muscovado was replaced by the demand for refined sugar, thus ending the glorious days of Filipino producers.

The word muscovado came from the Spanish word mascabado (which means unrefined); it is known in other South Asian countries as gur, jaggery and khandsari, while it is known as rapadura, pamela and piloncillo in Southern America.

The very reason for the revival of muscovado is its lower calorie content than white sugar which explains its popularity with the public.

Muscovado is a natural sugar that still contains vitamins and minerals from sugar cane, unlike refined ones which lose nutrients in the process of refinement.

Also known as Barbados (meaning moist sugar), it is stickier than other sugars but has good resistance to high temperatures and has a long shelf-life. Because of its great production in the country, several Philippine recipes make use of muscovado, and among them are cookies and beverages, especially whiskey.

Muscovado is made with the addition of kalamansi and coconut milk while the cane juice is being boiled. The mixture is then dried under the sun when it becomes thick. After drying, it is then pounded into small pieces that has different colors and textures but contains plenty of minerals.