Jumat, 22 Januari 2021
The arrival of sugar in the New World
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| The History Of Sugar In America |
The History Of Sugar In America - History of sugar has had a major influence on the world's food industry and the food supply. Over time sugar has been necessary for man's daily sustenance, but sugar's beginnings are somewhat mysterious. What exactly was the first source of sugar? And where did it come from? In this article we will look at the history of sugar and look at how the world's dependence on sugar has developed over the centuries.
Archaeological evidence points to the cultivation of sugarcane, a native crop found in northern India, as far back as the second millennium BC. Although it was used as a dye, the primary purpose for sugar was for fuel, and therefore was not so common as the dates palm tree was cultivated. Sugar was first made from the sugarcane crops in northern India sometime between the second and first centuries AD. The origin of the term 'sugar' is still uncertain; however, the derivation of the term from the ground or 'candy' is believed to be from Sanskrit, meaning "black gravel".
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As the history of sugar progressed, especially after the development of sugar mills, Europeans began to import it from the Orient, bringing with them plantations of sugarcane in tropical, south America and in Australia. Sugar eventually became a very important commodity, used to produce sugar and rum, and was even used as a capstone. Europe's rise to power and wealth led to an influx of foreign investors who brought new technology, and new technology meant that the infrastructure of Europe was better suited to the production of sugar, which in turn meant higher prices and greater demand. By the eighteenth century, European production was the largest in the world, even though the United States was still the main competitor.
Sugar, though a product that was traded widely throughout the century, remained largely a domestic product. There were, however, significant fluctuations in the amount of sugar imported and exported, with sugar production often being peaks and valleys, resulting in the export of less than the domestic demand. In times of financial crisis, when food and fuel were rapidly rising in price, the need for sugar increased, leading to the cultivation and shipment of sugarcane throughout the century.
The history of sugar is marked by four major events. The first of these, in the eleventh century, brought about the development of Canago Sugar, the world's first synthetic sugar, and marked the beginning of the century's trade in sugar between Europe and the rest of the world. The second major event in the sixteenth century saw the spread of sugar cultivation to the new world, and the expansion of the sugar industry. The last, and most dramatic, was the end of the thirteenth century, when Spain finally gave up its monopoly over sugar, ending a period of economic and social turmoil that had lasted for more than two hundred years.
The history of sugarcane in the west does not leave much to be desired. Between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, sugar plantations became a significant part of European life, extending from the Low Countries, where they were most widespread, to the Americas, Australia and Southeast Asia. As the European economy developed and became more developed, so did the demands for sugar. Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, there was a rapid movement of people across the world, bringing with them their newly found sugar supplies. As the global population expanded, there was an increased demand for labor in the sugar cane fields, and this in turn led to even greater expansion of the sugar plantations, bringing them to the size that they are at the present time.
The history of sugar production in the Americas is marked by the slave trade. Between the sixteenth and the nineteenth centuries, there were an estimated seventy million slaves in the southern Americas, demanding highly priced amounts of sugar each year. Although some southern Americans expressed concern over the enormous amount of money being sent to Africa, others were drawn into the process of buying slaves, many from the Philippines and Mexico. By the end of the nineteenth century, there were millions of Africans and Indians who had been brought to the United States as sugar plantation workers, and by the mid-twentieth century, there were an estimated 1.5 million slaves in the southern United States.
One of the most important aspects of the history of sugar in the New World is the way that it was marketed and consumed. Sugarcane juice, created from the pulp of the plant, was mixed with water and made into a drink that was believed to have several health benefits, including being able to eliminate intestinal worms and cure scurvy. Early writings from the time describe people in the Caribbean using the juice as a medicine and concocting poultices to use in order to heal wounds caused by wounds inflicted by combat. Sugar was also used in order to alleviate hunger during long journeys, and to whiten teeth and give a smoother complexion.