Ingredients
Sugar
- 150 gtapa de dulce, unrefined cane sugar, chopped
- or 150 g panela or piloncillo
Liquid
- 1 litrewater
- or 500 ml water and 500 ml milk, for the richer version
Sometimes
- a small cinnamon stick
- a few cloves
- a strip of lemon peel
- a splash of coffee
To serve
- very hot, in a mug
- with tortillas, bread or cheese
- at breakfast or in the late afternoon
Directions
- Chop it with a heavy knife, grate it, or wrap it in a cloth and hit it with a rolling pin.
- Break it into small pieces before it goes in the water, since a whole cake takes a very long time to dissolve. A microwave for twenty seconds softens it enough to cut, which is a useful modern shortcut.
- Put the pieces in the water and bring it slowly to a simmer.
- Stir until it has completely dissolved, which takes ten to fifteen minutes. Do not rush it over a high heat, since undissolved lumps sink and the drink comes out unevenly sweet.
- Start with less than the recipe suggests and add more, since it is easy to add and impossible to remove. It should taste unmistakably of caramel and molasses rather than simply of sugar.
- Strain it through a fine sieve before serving. Warm it gently once the milk is in and do not let it boil, since milk boils over in seconds. Now serving it, while it is very hot.
- Serve it very hot in a mug or a glass. It keeps a couple of days refrigerated and is reheated, and it is also drunk cold over ice in hot weather.
Technique
- It was what farm workers drank when coffee was too expensive to keep.
- Unrefined cane sugar is essential; white sugar gives a different drink.
- Salty white cheese dipped into it is the traditional pairing.
Substitutions
- Panela, piloncillo, rapadura or jaggery, all of which are the same thing.
- Dark muscovado sugar at a pinch.
Variations
- Agua dulce con leche, made with milk.
- With a splash of coffee added.
- Served cold over ice in hot weather.
History
Hot drink of tapa de dulce, unrefined cane sugar, dissolved in water or milk; it fuelled farm workers before coffee became affordable.
Frequently asked questions
What is Agua dulce?
Agua dulce is a drink from Costa Rica: hot drink of dissolved raw cane sugar. Hot drink of tapa de dulce, unrefined cane sugar, dissolved in water or milk; it fuelled farm workers before coffee became affordable.
How long does Agua dulce take to make?
Agua dulce takes 5 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 cups. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Agua dulce?
Yes, within limits. Panela, piloncillo, rapadura or jaggery, all of which are the same thing. Dark muscovado sugar at a pinch.
What is the most important thing to get right in Agua dulce?
Stir until it has completely dissolved, which takes ten to fifteen minutes. Do not rush it over a high heat, since undissolved lumps sink and the drink comes out unevenly sweet.
