History of Sugar

Modern day, refined white sugar is a relative novelty. The sweet qualities of fruits and honey have been praised for nearly 4000 years, but refined sugar only became known to Europeans after 1100 BC. Even so, it remained a luxury until well into the 1700s.

Sugar cane has an unusually high sucrose content of 15%. Native to the New Guinea in the South Pacific, it was carried by prehistoric people into Asia. The sugar cane and the technology to make sugar traveled from Asia into the Middle East around the 6th century CE. Europeans were first exposed to sugar during the Crusades in the 11th century. Sugar was treated as a flavoring and a medicine. Medieval Europe used it to preserve fruits and flowers and as medicinal morsels used to mask bitter-tasting drugs. By the 14th century, sugar had already acquired popularity in non-medical confections. By the 16th century, confectionery had become an art. Cooks were already proficient in making syrups, hard candies, and other confections that were pleasing to see as well as to eat.

By the 18th century, the use of sugar in Europe exploded. Its consumption was supported by the colonial rule in the West Indies and the use of slavery. Columbus had carried the sugar cane to Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) during his second voyage. By 1550, the Americas were producing sugar in significant quantities. By one estimate, two-thirds of the 20 million African slaves in America worked on sugar plantations. The intricate trade in sugar made major ports out of minor cities throughout Europe. The huge fortunes made by plantation owners funded much of the Industrial Revolution.

The 19th century brought a rapid decline to the sugar industry with the abolition of slavery and the development of an alternative to the sugar cane. In 1747, Andreas Marggraf, a Prussian chemist, discovered that using brandy to extract the juice of the white beet produced crystals identical to those from sugar cane. However, many years passed before the production of sugar from beets became appreciated. Emperor Napoleon awarded Benjamin Delessert for developing a working sugar-beet factory in 1812. Though a quick fad rose and faded, production of sugar from beets took a strong hold in the 1840s, and has been sustained ever since.

Today, 30% of sucrose production world wide comes from beets. Some sugar is still produced from sugar cane, but a majority of sugar comes from corn. Manufacturing sugar from corn has made sugar very inexpensive and abundant in the Western diet. Sugar production saw a 7-fold increase between 1900 and 1964; a growth unmatched by any other crop. Given the rising concerns of sugar in our diet today, there is an abundant market for products that mimic sugar without its adverse effects on body weight and health.