History, Sugar Coated

As many of you know, there was once a time when sugar was the most expensive and difficult to obtain of white powders consumed recreationally. As I sit at a cafe sipping my 3 euro espresso after yet another lunch of sweet beets, I can't help but think of what a wonderful little thing this sugar is, and how often I take it for granted. Between sugar trips, I nervously and frantically ponder how it came to be that I'm able to consume sugar in France in first place. As an 18th century pickpocket however, I do lament current sugar prices, as it is much more elementary to purloin sugar for specie than silverware and bone china. I jest.

Like with so many old commodities, sugar tells a pretty interesting story. By tracing the history of sugar, you trace a 'recent' history of the East and West, through conquest, trade, and colonization.

It's thought that sugarcane originated in Polynesia and spread to India. After India was invaded in the 6th century by Persia, sugar eventually made its way to the Middle East through subsequent invasions of Persia by Arab armies. The Arabs in turn carried it with them as they conquered North Africa and Spain.

Flash forward a couple years to the 11th century, when sugar became known to Western Europe by means of the Crusades. It's likely that sugar became a hit because crusading is known to build up quite an appetite. The uninvited guests were probably happy to partake in the consumption of a sweet treat or two.

Sugar continued to expand throughout Europe in the following centuries, but still remained a very expensive luxury item. Honey (which was still expensive), or more likely, fruit, was otherwise used for sweetening food. Eventually sugarcane made its way to the New World with Columbus, who got it by means of a fling with the ruler of the Canary Islands, where he made a quick stop before hopping the old Atlantic.

As for France, they were forced to rely on British imports of sugar because of the Kingdom's control of the Caribbean. Sugar was very heavily taxed, and so was the rum that resulted from it. In 1747, sugar beet was first used as a source of sugar, but cane sugar still predominated until the Napoleonic wars, when Britain blocked sugar from the rest of Europe. Napoleon, not wanting any of it anyway, single-handedly started the beet sugar industry, which still provides as much as 30% of the world's sugar.

I realize that I've now made two separate drug references in two consecutive posts. Don't worry Mom, everything is fine in Paris.

GG