Making Sugar In Costa Rica's Mountains

Located high up in the mountains is a little village called Santa Juana. Here, you can participate in an ancient tradition of turning sugar cane into pure sugar.
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Coffee and chocolate are practically synonymous with Costa Rica. But how much do you know about this nation's sugar cane history?

Located high up in the mountains is a little village called Santa Juana. Here, you can participate in an ancient tradition of turning sugar cane into pure sugar.

Using oxen and a contraption called a trapiche, you can extract the juice just as the locals did long before there was even electricity in Costa Rica. Then the juice is superheated into sweet cakes of authentic brown sugar.

Watch Peter as he learns how to make some sugar in the latest installment of the Hidden Gems of Costa Rica.

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