# What to do with raw sugarcane? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 19, 2010, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605 "2010-04-19T05:03:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/1 "2010-04-19T05:03:35Z")
So I was in a different supermarket than I usually shop at today and while in the produce section they had stalks of raw sugarcane. So I now have a six inch stalk of raw sugarcane. Do I just peel and eat it? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/2 "2010-04-19T05:05:25Z")
It’s pretty much inedible. You can suck on it, though. ---
**Author:** ![MizTina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MizTina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizTina)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/3 "2010-04-19T05:10:07Z")
Peel it, yes, eat it, no. Peel it, then cut it into bite size pieces. Chew the cane, release the wonderfulness of the sugar juice, savor every last drop, then spit out the fibery stuff. Sugar cane was one of my childhood favorites. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/4 "2010-04-19T05:11:21Z")
Squeeze it or suck it. The pith is indigestible cellulose. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/5 "2010-04-19T11:47:00Z")
As I recall from reading “Swiss Family Robinson” many years back, you can bash snakes with it. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/6 "2010-04-19T18:12:50Z")
Cut it into sticks and use it to stir your coffee, then chew the remaining sweetness and added coffee goodness out of the fibres (which, as noted, you will then need to spit out - I mean, you \*can \*swallow them, but they’re tickly in your throat). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/7 "2010-04-19T18:24:27Z")
I think you can grate it and use the gratings in place of brown sugar. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/8 "2010-04-19T20:25:09Z")
What happens if you eat it? ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/9 "2010-04-19T20:33:20Z")
> [@nikonikosuru](#): > > What happens if you eat it? Well, that’s kind of the point - you can’t eat it. It is pretty much sweet wood. I don’t think a normal grater would have much effect on it, and any gratings would be terribly fibrous. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/10 "2010-04-19T20:52:23Z")
> [@nikonikosuru](#): > > What happens if you eat it? It might poke a hole in your intestines. As the other posters said, it’s almost like wood. The fibers break apart as you chew it. Some of them are sharp on the end. My gums get sore if I chew too much at a time. Cut the cane into pieces behind the joints. The joints are too tough to chew. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/11 "2010-04-19T21:08:19Z")
Oh! and I forgot to mention, my favourite use for it is to (with great difficulty) slice it into skewers and use to grill meat/prawns in a kebab/sate kind of configuration. The difficulty is cutting the skewers in the first place - not too thin or thick. It helps them maintain structural integrity if you leave the skin on, and you can also freeze them if you need some extra strength while threading. You could also try grilling skewered fruits for a dessert application. Mmm, grilled mango. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/12 "2010-04-19T21:20:15Z")
> [@MizTina](#): > > Peel it, yes, eat it, no. Peel it, then cut it into bite size pieces. Chew the cane, release the wonderfulness of the sugar juice, savor every last drop, then spit out the fibery stuff. > > Sugar cane was one of my childhood favorites. Enjoy! That’s pretty much what we used to do, too. Sugarcane is sold in the supermarkets here, basically as a sort of chewing gum with splinters. Mostly it’s bought by Hispanics, from what I can gather. I shop in some stores that are targeted to Hispanics, and others which are not. ---
**Author:** ![breaking-reality](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a8b319/32.png) [@breaking-reality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breaking-reality)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/13 "2010-04-19T21:30:30Z")
I was told you could throw it in when you’re boiling water for tea and it makes a decent sweet tea, though I’ve never actually tried this. Has anyone else done this? ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/14 "2010-04-19T21:56:56Z")
Use as swivel sticks in ice tea. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-raw-sugarcane/536605/15 "2010-04-19T22:01:49Z")
Sugar cane will last a couple weeks or more. The outer skin keeps it fresh. The cut end will dry out. Cut that off and it’s fine. You can tell when it’s getting old. It’ll get tougher to chew and it won’t have as much juice.