Piloncillo

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A traditional sweetener made from boiled cane juice that forms solid blocks for culinary use
2. An unprocessed form of sugar popular in Latin American cooking, molded into distinctive shapes for various recipes
3. A coarse, dark sugar formed into cones or blocks by boiling and concentrating sugarcane juice for use in cooking

Etymology: Piloncillo is a diminutive of Spanish "pilón," a word for a mortar or a loaf-shaped mass, so the name literally means "little loaf." The sugar takes its name from its shape: it is boiled cane juice poured into molds, where it sets into a cone or small cylinder that was historically sold as a solid block rather than granulated. Because the word is a Spanish diminutive, it carries the -illo ending that Spanish uses to make things smaller or more affectionate, the same ending found in words like "pañuelo" (handkerchief, from "paño" cloth). English speakers mostly meet the term in Mexican and Latin American cooking, where it is grated or melted into sauces, drinks and desserts for a deep, molasses-like sweetness.