Hebrew: קָנֶה סֻכָּר, kaneh sukar
Family: Grasses (Poaceae)
Scientific name: Saccharum
Sugarcane is an herbaceous perennial plant from the Poaceae family, characterized by its segmented stalks and underground rhizome—a horizontal stem that allows it to regenerate. The stalks can grow very tall and are harvested repeatedly over several years. After a certain period, they are cut back, and new stalks sprout from the rhizome.
Like most plants, sugarcane produces sugar through photosynthesis. In many plants, sugar is stored as starch, which must be broken down before it can be used—such as during the ripening of fruit. In contrast, sugarcane (and sugar beet) stores sugar in a readily accessible form within its cells. Extracting sugar involves pressing the cane to release the juice, which is then processed—typically through drying and evaporation—until granulated sugar is produced. Sometimes, only part of the liquid is evaporated, resulting in liquid sugar products like cane syrup.
In modern industry, sugarcane has several additional uses beyond sugar production:
Biofuel: In recent years, driven by efforts to reduce reliance on coal and petroleum, sugarcane has become a major source of bioethanol—an organic fuel used as an alternative to fossil fuels.
Cosmetics: The stalk is coated with a thin layer of wax, which is extracted and used as a base in various cosmetic products.
Paper production: The fibrous residue left after juice extraction, known as bagasse, is widely used in the paper industry as a sustainable raw material.
The prevailing view in research is that sugarcane was introduced to our region only upon the Muslim conquest. Prior to that time, sweetening agents consisted of bee honey and fruit-based syrups, such as date and fig honey. However, some scholars suggest that sugarcane may have been present earlier. They propose that biblical and rabbinic references—such as kaneh hatov (“the good cane”) in Jeremiah (6:20), avuv ro’eh, ḥatzuv, and parsa’ot in the Mishnah, and sikora in the Jerusalem Talmud—may in fact refer to sugarcane.
Tree or vegetable: Sugarcane is a perennial plant with somewhat woody stalks and can exist for several years, so it is classified as a tree. However, the orlah prohibition does not apply to sugarcane, since only the extract from the cane is used, not the meat of the stalk or fruit.
Terumot and ma’aserot (offerings and tithes): For the above reason, it is exempt from terumot and ma’aserot
Kilei zera’im and kilei hakerem (interplanting: annuals and grapevines): Since sugarcane is classified as a tree, it does not require distancing from edible annuals and grapevines.
Blessing: Shehakol.
Kedushat shevi’it (Sabbatical year sanctity): Since kedushat shevi’it also applies to plants that are used for their taste only, they have kedushat shevi’it status.
