Muscovado
/ˌmʌskəˈvɑːdoʊ/noun
A type of unrefined or partly refined sugar with a strong molasses flavor.
Did you know?Muscovado is not a mystical word at all, but a trade term that likely arose in European commerce for a style of raw sugar, with its exact origin debated and often linked to Portuguese or Spanish forms.
Etymological Timeline
16th–17th Century
Portuguese/Spanish
muscavado / mascabado
“Unrefined or spoiled sugar; sugar left coarse and dark”
17th Century
English
muscovado
“A coarse, dark, unrefined sugar imported from abroad”
Modern English
English
muscovado
“Dark, moist, partially refined sugar used in cooking and baking”
Late Medieval
Italian/Spanish trade usage
mascabado / muscavado
“Commercial term for sugar that had not been fully refined”