How did it come to this? Sorghum syrup used to be a staple of the Southern diet. Eaten with buttered biscuits in the morning or cornbread in the afternoon, used to sweeten various desserts, even occasionally used to coat popcorn for a Southern variant of Cracker Jack.
Yet, today, nobody seems to eat the stuff. It’s almost impossible to find in the grocery store these days. Even among my native-born Southern friends, I seem to be the only one who craves sorghum.
Please reassure me. Are there any other sorghum lovers out there? If so, has anyone else been to the Sorghum Festival in Blairsville, GA?
I’ve never had it - where does it rate on the sweetness scale? Equivalent to sugar or maple syrup or more along the lines of that weird sweet that corn syrup has. Does it have a “taste” or is it just sweet?
When I lived in Nashville (95-99), I used to see it all the time at Kroger’s.
Are we a minority here? I grew up eating the stuff on biscuits and fortunately have been able to secure a steady supply. I have shared it with several of my friends and that all thought it tasted terrible but I love it. I DO think it is a southern thing as none of my northern friends had ever even heard of it.
BunnyGirl, sorghum syrup is very sweet, but it is not blandly sweet like corn syrup. It has a tangy flavor to it that is hard to describe. It’s somewhat similar to molasses (if you’ve ever had molasses).
I recently learned that Cracker Barrel has sorghum syrup, but it’s not on the menu. You have to ask for it. If you are curious to sample the stuff, ask for some the next time you are at Cracker Barrel, then try a little with a buttered biscuit.
Opengrave and Ogre, I fear we sorghum lovers may be a dying breed. It may be an acquired taste. Folks who didn’t grow up eating it don’t seem to like it much, and of course, not many people grow up eating it these days.