Sugar ─ A Global History

It’s no surprise that humankind’s love affair with sugar stretches back over millennia. The addictive sweetener originated in New Guinea around 8,000 BC and quickly spread throughout India, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. By the tenth century it had become the European obsession and soon afterwards a major export of American colonies. Today sugar is grown around the world and is a main component of sweets, cakes, and soft drinks, as well as of pasta sauce and peanut butter—despite their savory nature. Sugarcane and sugar beets are two of the most important global commodities, but they are also controversial for their high doses of carbohydrates and lack of nutritional quality. Over-consumption of sugar is associated with many chronic diseases and is a major cause of obesity.

Sugar: A Global History explores sugar’s reputation as one of the most beloved yet most reviled substances that humans consume. Smith combines historical context with the gripping stories of those who have benefited and suffered because of sugar, and he analyzes mankind’s convoluted love-hate relationship with the sweetener that has such a powerful hold over us.