History of sugar

First who knew about sugar was the Polynesians which lived on islands in the Pacific more than 5000 years ago. They noticed that stems of the giant grass, which is now called sugar-cane, contain sweet liquid which can be used in cooking.

Later sugar cane appeared in coastal regions of India. But it did not spread further for many centuries. In 510 BC Persian king Darius invaded Hindustan and discovered that the people sweetened their food with the substance extracted from a plant. Before that the Persians used only honey as sweet product.

In the most of European countries food was sweetened only with honey too. Sugar was luxury which can be afforded only by aristocracy.  For example in England sugar was used at court of Henry III in 1264, it was not affordable for common people. Sugar was such an expensive product that it was stored in special cans for tea with a lock.

Beets were used as product for people and fodder for domestic animals since ancient times. But only in 1747 German chemist Andreas Markgraph managed to extract sugar from beet in the form convenient for cooking. European climate was favorable for culturing sugar beets.

Sugar cane was still the main source of sugar in Europe until the beginning of Napoleon wars which were pursued between England and France from 1793 to 1815. In this period British fleet blocked French ports having cut the ways to import goods. That was the time when fast growth of sugar beet production on the continent began.

At that time in 1789 a pharmacist Bindgaim from Moscow received sugar from beet for the first time in Russia. Since that “sugar era” began in Russia.

After sugar beet established well in European climate it began to compete successfully with sugar cane and turned into the main source of sugar in Europe.