Caramel is the flavorful golden-to-brown product of caramelizing sugar: heating it until it browns and develops a complex, toasted flavor. It is generally traced to 17th-century Europe, where sugar-boiling techniques developed alongside expanding sugar cultivation and refining.
Caramel is made from white granulated sugar, brown sugar, or honey, heated to high temperatures until the sugar molecules break down and recombine into new flavor compounds. Darker caramel has a more intense, slightly bitter flavor; lighter caramel is milder.
In sweet applications, caramel is used in sauces, candies, ice creams, and as a filling or topping for cakes and tarts. In savory cooking, it can glaze roasted meats or deepen gravies and marinades. Its sweetness is often balanced with salt, as in salted caramel, or paired with nuts, cinnamon, vanilla, or coffee.