The sweet kuro sato, lumps of brown sugar that sit on the table of almost every Okinawan house, is basically sugar made from the cane.

First the juice is squeezed out of the canes, then lime is added and the liquid boiled. When it cools down it becomes black sugar.

It is rich in potassium, calcium, iron and minerals. It is used for making cakes, eaten as is like candy, and also used as a base for cough remedies.