Steen's cane syrup is a traditional American sweetener made by the simple concentration of cane juice through long cooking in open kettles. The result is a dark, "caramel–flavored, burnt gold–colored syrup," "deep and slightly sulfurous" with a "lightly bitter backlash."[1] [2] It is sweeter than molasses because no refined sugar is removed from the product.[3]
Steen's syrup has been made since 1910 in Abbeville, Louisiana, by C. S. Steen's Syrup Mill, Inc. Its packaging is marked by a bright yellow label.[4] Steen's has been called a "Southern icon" and essential for "sweet Southern dishes".[5] [6] While Steen's is the best known remaining producer of unrefined cane syrup, a few other manufacturers can be found elsewhere in the South.[4] [3] [7]
Traditional cane syrup has been called "one of the basic flavors of southern Louisiana."[3] The syrup, and Steen's manufacturing process, are described by Slow Food USA in their Ark of Taste as an endangered slow food product.[8]