The trade of sugar cane changed societies around the world by helping to create stable economies, increasing slave populations on plantations, and influencing the outcome of the Revolutionary War.
Where it All StartedSugar cane originated in New Guinea around 6000 BC and soon traveled throughout South Asia and into Europe. Sugar cane was a popular good because between the 6th and 4th centuries BC in India the Persians referred to sugar as something that "produces honey without bees" (Wikipedia). It was a delicious new good that amazed many throughout the globe. Sugar cane spread rapidly from country to country because of the new technology it supplied and ideas it sparked. After Columbus brought it over to the Dominican Republic in 1493, the life of the Caribbean Islands got flipped upside down for all they know. In modern times, sugar production is a huge part of their economy. The popular plant is now commonly found in areas of Central America, Caribbean, and South America where sugar cane plantations are abundant. Sugar cane played a huge role in many trade routes and cultures around the world, and still does. The spread of sugar boomed new ideas for the future and created a lifestyle for many. Now, sugar cane is cultivated in over 100 countries around the world in order to make various products.
The word 'sugar' derives from the ancient Sanskrit 'sharkara'.
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BackgroundThere are 37 different species of sugar cane like, saccharum robustum, saccharum officinarum, saccharum spontaneum, saccharum sinese, and more all originating in different areas of the globe. Sugar cane makes about 80% of the world's sugar, the rest is from the sugar beet. The sugar beet crop is a plant that mainly grows on farms in Europe, or other colder regions of the world, that produces sugar using photosynthesis. In the early days before sugar cane came into play, honey was used to sweeten foods throughout the world. During the time when Emporer Taizong of Tang ruled China (626-649 AD), he had an interest in sugar which sparked China to soon establish its first sugarcane cultivation in the 17th century.
What is Sugar Cane?Sugar cane is a tropical grass that can grow to be a height of 15 feet tall. This perennial plant (can live for more than two years), is held up by a hollow stalk filled with sweet sap and has leaves on the top. Sugar cane is good to harvest after about 10 to 15 months of growing, it grows best in warm, tropical climates. The stalk of a sugar cane almost exactly resembles the one of the bamboo plant. It is one of the most photosynthetically-efficient plants because it provides food for not only itself, but most of the world! Sugar cane is a cash crop which means that it is grown specifically for sale or profit; very popular in Hawaii.
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