What's Yacon syrup? I hadn't heard of it either when I was asked if I would like to review this Yacon syrup. A quick Google tells me it's a natural sweetener derived from the Yacon plant's root. The bottle didn't arrive with any instructions or a press release so I had to play around with quantities I used. I agreed to the review because I saw Yacon syrup as a baking item and wanted to try it as a natural sweetener. There is a great deal of information about Yacon syrup a weight loss aid, more on that later.
When the bottle arrived I eagerly opened it up and gave it a good sniff. I've got quite a shelf of syrups on the go and we'll often have Agave nectar, another natural plant syrup on our pancakes. However, the Yacon syrup didn't smell sweet and inviting, it has a yeasty malt like scent. It reminded me of when my Dad would open a can of home brew molasses. The Yacon syrup sat sadly forgotten on the side for a few days before a decided I'd give it a try.
I mixed it with some Greek yoghurt and froze it because I'm going through a frozen yoghurt phase at the moment and can't get enough of the stuff. I tentatively dipped my finger into the syrup which was much thicker and darker than I was expecting and it is super sweet. There is a definite flavour to it but it is difficult to pin point (probably because it's Yacon) it reminded me of Victory V lozenges, sort of a metallic liquorice taste.
Apparently, the syrup is also heralded as weight loss wonder, I haven't been taking spoonfuls of it every day and at the $27 (around £16) price tag I wouldn't, even if I could stomach the sweetness. I'm generally very sceptical of any such claims although, the syrup is as sickly sweet and viscous as Lactulose a constipation medicine that is also known in a lower dosage as the food additive galactofructose so perhaps it has a similar effect.
I couldn't eat the syrup raw but decided to give it a fair trial by using it, as I had originally intended as a sweetener in baking. Yacon syrup is exceedingly sweet so I didn't think I'd need much of it as a sugar substitute. What appealed to me is that it is 100% Yacon in the bottle, I like natural products but the food miles and price may prevent me from purchasing this for myself.
When it came to baking, I have to say I was impressed. The dark colouring and treacle like consistency led me to try muffins. Yacon syrup is exceedingly sweet so I didn't think I'd need much of it as a sugar substitute.
Check out my Yacon syrup muffin recipe. I'll use the rest of the bottle in other baking recipes and plan to create a ratio for of how much Yacon you need in place of sugar.
Have you tried Yacon before?
When the bottle arrived I eagerly opened it up and gave it a good sniff. I've got quite a shelf of syrups on the go and we'll often have Agave nectar, another natural plant syrup on our pancakes. However, the Yacon syrup didn't smell sweet and inviting, it has a yeasty malt like scent. It reminded me of when my Dad would open a can of home brew molasses. The Yacon syrup sat sadly forgotten on the side for a few days before a decided I'd give it a try.
I mixed it with some Greek yoghurt and froze it because I'm going through a frozen yoghurt phase at the moment and can't get enough of the stuff. I tentatively dipped my finger into the syrup which was much thicker and darker than I was expecting and it is super sweet. There is a definite flavour to it but it is difficult to pin point (probably because it's Yacon) it reminded me of Victory V lozenges, sort of a metallic liquorice taste.
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| Yacon Syrup mixed with yoghurt which will then be frozen |
Apparently, the syrup is also heralded as weight loss wonder, I haven't been taking spoonfuls of it every day and at the $27 (around £16) price tag I wouldn't, even if I could stomach the sweetness. I'm generally very sceptical of any such claims although, the syrup is as sickly sweet and viscous as Lactulose a constipation medicine that is also known in a lower dosage as the food additive galactofructose so perhaps it has a similar effect.
I couldn't eat the syrup raw but decided to give it a fair trial by using it, as I had originally intended as a sweetener in baking. Yacon syrup is exceedingly sweet so I didn't think I'd need much of it as a sugar substitute. What appealed to me is that it is 100% Yacon in the bottle, I like natural products but the food miles and price may prevent me from purchasing this for myself.
 |
| Muffins Made with Yacon syrup |
When it came to baking, I have to say I was impressed. The dark colouring and treacle like consistency led me to try muffins. Yacon syrup is exceedingly sweet so I didn't think I'd need much of it as a sugar substitute.
Check out my Yacon syrup muffin recipe. I'll use the rest of the bottle in other baking recipes and plan to create a ratio for of how much Yacon you need in place of sugar.
Have you tried Yacon before?