The Chala or "Coast" is one of the eight natural regions in Peru . It is formed by all the western lands that arise from sea level up to the height of 500 meters. The coastal desert of Peru is largely devoid of vegetation but a unique fog and mist-fed ecosystem called Lomas is scattered among hills near the Pacific coast as elevations up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).
23-516: In this region, the flora includes vegetation that grows near the rivers, like the carob tree , the palo verde , salty grama grass , manglar or mangrove tree , the carrizo or giant reed and the Caña brava (ditch reed) ; and plants that grow in the hills, such as the Amancay or Peruvian daffodil ( Hymenocallis amancaes ), the wild tomato , the mito or Peruvian papaya ( Vasconcellea candicans ), and
46-463: A good shade tree, if one does not mind the nasty thorns of the fallen branches. Its hard wood is a source of long-burning firewood and charcoal . Kiawe pods can be used as livestock fodder, ground into flour, turned into molasses or used to make beer . The light yellow flowers attract bees , which produce from them a sought-after white honey . Fallen Kiawe branches usually contain sharp spines that can puncture both feet and tires. At times
69-409: A long taproot which can reach deep watertables. It is so efficient at extracting moisture from soil that it can kill nearby plants by depriving them of water, as well as by shading them out. It can be found in areas where other plants do not grow, such as sandy, dry, degraded slopes, salty soils, disturbed areas , and rocky cliffs. The tree grows quickly and can live for over a millennium. It makes
92-549: A major reason for the collapse of the Nazca culture in southern Peru at the beginning of the 6th century AD after an El Niño event led to flooding, erosion and desertification . Ecologists consider the huarango important to the ecosystem of the desert area west of the Andes in southern Peru, because of its ability to bind moisture and counter erosion. Despite prohibitions by regional authorities, poor villagers continue to harvest
115-465: A versatile ingredient with both food and non-food applications. The word molasses comes from melaço in Portuguese , a derivative (intensifier) of mel (honey) with Latinate roots. Cognates include Ancient Greek μέλι ( méli ) ( honey ), Latin mel , Spanish melaza (molasses), Romanian miere or melasă , and French mélasse (molasses). Blackstrap
138-508: Is derived from the Dutch word for syrup, stroop . Sugar cane molasses is an ingredient used in baking and cooking. It was popular in the Americas before the 20th century, when it was plentiful and commonly used as a sweetener in foods and an ingredient in brewing beer in the colonies. George Washington had a notebook that contains a molasses beer recipe. To produce molasses, sugar cane
161-638: Is a thorny legume , native to Colombia , Ecuador and Peru , particularly drier areas near the coast. While threatened in its native habitat, it is considered an invasive species in many other places. The kiawe is a spreading bush or moderately sized tree, bearing spines, spikes of greenish-yellow flowers , and long pods filled with small brown seeds . It is a successful invasive species due to its ability to reproduce in two ways: production of large numbers of easily dispersed seeds, and suckering to create thick monotypic stands that shade out nearby competing plants. It survives well in dry environments due to
184-509: Is harvested and stripped of leaves. Its juice is then extracted, usually by cutting, crushing or mashing. The juice is boiled to produce a concentrate and encourage sugar crystallization . The result of this first boiling is called first syrup ('A' Molasses ) and has the highest sugar content. First syrup is usually referred to in the Southern United States as cane syrup rather than molasses. Second molasses ('B' Molasses )
207-406: Is limited in biotin (vitamin H or B 7 ) for cell growth and hence may be supplemented with a biotin source. The non-sugar content includes many salts, including calcium , potassium , oxalate and chloride . It contains betaine and the trisaccharide raffinose . These result from the concentration of the original plant material or other chemicals in processing and are unpalatable to humans. It
230-414: Is produced by a second boiling and sugar extraction and has a slightly bitter taste. Boiling the sugar syrup a third time yields dark, viscous blackstrap molasses ( 'C' Molasses ), known for its robust flavour. During this process, the majority of sucrose from the original juice is crystallized and removed. The bitterness of blackstrap molasses is much greater than in the regular form of molasses. It
253-530: Is sometimes also cut for firewood or fence posts. The first specimen in Hawaii was planted from a seed brought by missionary Alexis Bachelot from the Palais-Royal Gardens in 1828. Molasses Molasses ( / m ə ˈ l æ s ɪ z , m oʊ -/ ) is a viscous byproduct, principally obtained from the refining of sugarcane or sugar beet juice into sugar . Molasses varies in
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#1732765286534276-516: Is sometimes used in baking or to produce ethanol , as an ingredient in cattle feed , or as a fertilizer . Exaggerated health benefits claimed for blackstrap molasses were the theme of the 1951 novelty song Black Strap Molasses , recorded by Groucho Marx , Jimmy Durante , Jane Wyman and Danny Kaye . Unlike highly refined sugars, molasses contains significant amounts of vitamin B 6 and minerals , including calcium , magnesium , iron and manganese ; one tablespoon provides up to 20% of
299-493: Is therefore mainly used as an animal feed additive (known as molassed sugar beet feed ) or a fermentation feedstock. Sweet sorghum syrup is colloquially called sorghum molasses in the southern United States . Pomegranate molasses is a traditional ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking. It is made by simmering a mixture of pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice and reducing the mixture for about an hour until
322-512: The divi-divi ( Cæsalpinia coriaria ). The coastal fauna of the Chala includes sea lions , the anchovy and several seabirds. Common trees in the north are the faique, the zapote , the zapayal, the barrigon and other thorny tropical savanna trees of the equatorial dry forests on the northern coast of Piura and Tumbes . Páramo and the northern coast of the Piura region are not under
345-565: The amount of sugar, the method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is usually used to sweeten and flavour foods. Molasses is a major constituent of fine commercial brown sugar . Molasses is rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B6 , iron , calcium , magnesium , and potassium . There are different types of molasses, including first molasses (highest sugar content), second molasses (slightly bitter), and blackstrap molasses (the darkest and most robust in flavor). Molasses
368-726: The central and southern coast (drier as one goes south). The average year round day temperature is 21 °C (70 °F) (max 33 °C, min 8 °C). Orientation: This Peruvian geography article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Prosopis pallida Prosopis pallida is a species of mesquite tree. It has the common names kiawe ( / k iː ˈ ɑː v eɪ / ) (in Hawaii), huarango (in its native South America) and American carob , as well as "bayahonda" (a generic term for Prosopis ), "algarrobo pálido" (in some parts of Ecuador and Peru), and "algarrobo blanco" (usually used for Prosopis alba ). It
391-433: The consistency of syrup is achieved. Many types of molasses on the market are branded unsulfured . In the past, many foods, including molasses, were treated with a sulfur dioxide preservative, helping to kill off moulds and bacteria. Sulfur dioxide is also used as a bleaching agent to help lighten the colour of molasses. Most brands have abandoned the use of sulfur dioxide in molasses because untreated molasses already has
414-474: The influence of the cold Humboldt Current . Páramo has a tree line at the border, even on the westside of the continental divide. Andean Continental Divide Mountain top: Loma-vegetation , is found between 150 metres (490 ft) and 600 metres (2,000 ft) and it is situated at the first westside slope near the coast in Peru. This subregion has a subtropical desert climate with little rainfall along
437-417: The other, and the two species are often confused. To compound the difficulty in discerning the species of a given tree, these two species hybridise readily where their ranges overlap. In the semi-arid Zapotillo Canton of Ecuador, both thorn-bearing and thornless strains of Prosopis pallida exist with thorn-bearing trees being more common. It is the preferred tree of the local people for making charcoal and
460-570: The recommended daily value of each of those nutrients. Blackstrap is also a good source of potassium . On Madeira Island cane molasses is an important constituent of the traditional cuisine, where it is known as mel-de-cana ( Portuguese for "(sugar)cane's honey"). Its origin in Madeira dates back to the golden age of sugar production in the archipelago. Beet molasses is 50% sugar by dry weight, predominantly sucrose , but contains significant amounts of glucose and fructose . Beet molasses
483-681: The tree was used to replace forest and prevent erosion , and once it was established it generally dominates the habitat. It was introduced to Puerto Rico and Hawaii as well as New South Wales and Queensland in Australia and is now naturalized in those places. The first kiawe was planted in Hawaii in 1828; today it is a ubiquitous shade tree and invasive weed on the Hawaiian Islands , but provides firewood for heating and cooking. The clearing of kiawe ( huarango ) has been suggested as
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#1732765286534506-470: The trees to make charcoal. Efforts are under way to reforest the area with huarangos. In the southwest of Ecuador, Prosopis pallida and Prosopis juliflora both display substantial genetic variability due to the ( intraspecific ) cross-pollination of their self-incompatible flowers which are typical of the genus Prosopis . As a result, trees of these species display a range of physical traits that lead to trees of one species resembling descriptions of
529-493: Was historically popular in the Americas before the 20th century as a sweetener. It is still commonly used in traditional cuisine, such as in Madeira Island 's traditional dishes. In addition to culinary uses, molasses has industrial applications, such as in the distillation of rum , additive in mortar , and as a soil amendment to promote microbial activity. The unique flavor and nutritional profile of molasses make it
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