Chancaca is a food made solely from panela extract, but to obtain it, a specific process must be followed.
To extract the juice from the sugarcane, it is necessary to ensure that at least a year has passed since it flowered. Then, the sugarcane juice is extracted using various methods, one of which can be employing a special machine that crushes and triturates the cane until all the juice is obtained.
Almost immediately, the extracted juice should be transferred to a special boiler, where it will be exposed to high temperatures for a good while (almost half a day). A broad wooden spoon with holes is typically used to remove impurities or chunks present in the mixture.
After waiting a few hours, the sugarcane juice is taken off the heat and begins to be stirred until it reaches the right consistency. During this process, the chancaca takes on the color we recognize. Next, the juice is poured into molds and left to cool. The result is a sweet chancaca, perfect for accompanying fritters or making sweet desserts like 'chancaquitas'.
Although few people know this, chancaca is a well-known food throughout Latin America, though its preparation and culinary use can vary. Some of the most common names for chancaca across Latin America include: Panela (Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela), Tapa Dulce (Costa Rica), Rapadura (Panama), and Dulce de Atado (El Salvador).
Regarding the origin of the word 'Chancaca', it may come from the Nahuatl word Chiancaca (brown sugar), or from Quechua: Ch'amkay (to crush).
