An ancient 'superfood' sent from heaven
Found literally everywhere, sugar has been an important crop and commodity since ancient times. Used in many types of foods and drinks around the world, it's hard to find someone who isn't a fan of a little sweetness. And while a lot of us are trying to cut back on our sugar intake, it's still a huge part of modern life. This sweetener has become a preferred ingredient in almost every food product, and it's hard to escape it.
So whether you've got a big sweet tooth or not, you need to check out these interesting facts about sugar. Click on!
The word "sugar" originates from the Sanskrit word sharkara, which means "material in a granule form." From Sanskrit, the word passed to Persian, becoming šakar. It was then borrowed by the Arabic language, becoming as-sukkar.
Sugars are molecules of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The simplest include glucose, fructose, and galactose. The sugar we mostly consume, table sugar, is crystallized sucrose, a mix of one fructose and one glucose molecule.
The three main categories of sugar are monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polyols. Monosaccharides are single molecule sugars, while disaccharides are made up of two linked monosaccharides. Both are found in products like fruits, table sugar, and milk. Meanwhile, polyols aren’t true sugars. They’re found in many sugar-free sweeteners.
One of the world's oldest ingredients, sugarcane was first domesticated in New Guinea around 8000 BCE. It was later taken to the Philippines and India.
People in India have been crystallizing cane sugar for at least 2,000 years. When Alexander the Great’s companions arrived there, they were amazed by the sweet product.
Dating back to 9th-century Iraq, sugar was used to make medicinal syrups with fruits and spices. Centuries later, British doctors prescribed sugar to cure a range of diseases, such as blowing sugar powder into the eyes to cure eye ailments and irritations.
The Portuguese brought sugarcane to Brazil, where a slave-based plantation economy was established. It was soon introduced in the Caribbean, which led to the growth of the industry that came to feed sugar-crazed Europe.
When sugar was first introduced to 12th-century England, it was grouped with other tropical spices like ginger, cinnamon, and saffron. The wealthy in society used it to season savory dishes.
Initially, sugar was so rare and expensive that only royalty could afford it. And even so, they ordered sugar in very small quantities.
Called subtleties, these sugar sculptures were made into different shapes and wheeled out at royal feasts starting in the 13th century. While being visually impressive, they weren't very tasty. Sugar was mixed with nuts, pastes, and gums to give it a clay-like consistency.
By 1850, the working class consumed more sugar than the wealthier classes. As the price of sugar dropped, people began using it in a range of goods, such as oatmeal and baked treats.
In 1747, German chemist Andreas Marggraf discovered that the sugar in a sugar beet is identical to that in sugarcane. This helped bring cheap sugar to colder climates.
Sugarcane is used for approximately three quarters of all production. Sugarcane exceeds sugar beet in production volume, and most notably in climate and production costs. Thailand, China, Brazil, and India are major producers of sugarcane, while sugar beet is produced mainly in Europe and the US.
About 70% of all sugar produced is used in its country of origin. Around 124 countries produce sugar commercially. Brazil is the world’s largest producer of sugarcane.
According to brain scans, sugar is as addictive as cocaine. Quitting it abruptly can cause pain, nausea, and flu-like symptoms.
Just like alcohol, studies show that those with genetic changes in a hormone called ghrelin consume more sugar than those who have no such gene variation.
Sugarcane is usually grown in large plantations or cane fields. It can yield up to 44 pounds (20 kg) of sugar for every 11 square feet (one square m) of land.
Not only can overconsumption of sugar cause weight gain, but it can also affect the elasticity of your skin. Eating too much sugar causes glycation, a process in which excess blood sugar binds to collagen in the skin, resulting in wrinkles.
Centuries ago, humans depended on a diet containing very little sugar and virtually no refined carbohydrates. Sugar probably entered our diets by accident when someone chewed on sugarcane stalks.
More than half the 8.4 million metric tons of sugar produced annually in the US comes from beets. Beat sugar, anyone?
Sugar has been used as a preservative for hundreds of years. This is because high sugar concentrations cause bacteria to lose water through a process called osmosis. And without water, bacteria can't grow or divide.
Too much sugar can actually make you less intelligent. So far scientists have only studied the effect on rats, but they believe that the brain structure of rats is similar enough to our own. Therefore, the findings can be extended to humans!
If you feel appalled by the thought of drinking 16 sugar cubes in one sitting, then we're sorry to break it to you: you probably have. That is what's contained in a 20-ounce (500 mL) bottle of cola.
The five most successful soft commodities (i.e. commodities that are grown, not mined) in terms of annual consumption are cocoa, coffee, wheat, cotton, and, of course, sugar.
The sugar trade is one of the most complex in the world. It involves price controls, quotas, subsidies, and preferential arrangements. It's a sweet, but serious, business.
You’d probably guess otherwise, but a lemon contains far more sugar than strawberry (70% vs. 40%). The acidity in lemons, which gives its tangy taste, masks the sweetness.
Sugar is a main component in "rocket candy," a popular form of model rocket fuel. Scientists are still working on making a practical sugar-based car fuel. The future might offer a sweet ride!
Overconsumption of sugar can increase the overall risk for heart disease. Sugar even changes the muscle protein of the heart, as well as its pumping mechanics.
Sugars are the building blocks of carbohydrates. It's the most abundant type of organic molecules in living things.
Sources: (Mental Floss) (Discover Magazine) (The Conversation) (Medium)
See also: What was the average diet like in medieval Europe?
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FOOD Curiosities
Found literally everywhere, sugar has been an important crop and commodity since ancient times. Used in many types of foods and drinks around the world, it's hard to find someone who isn't a fan of a little sweetness. And while a lot of us are trying to cut back on our sugar intake, it's still a huge part of modern life. This sweetener has become a preferred ingredient in almost every food product, and it's hard to escape it.
So whether you've got a big sweet tooth or not, you need to check out these interesting facts about sugar. Click on!