Sweetness And Power: Sidney Mintz's Sweetness And Power

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People do not often stop to think about why the world is how it is today and when people do, they tend to think about war, victory, defeat, and even their heritage, however many of them neglect to think about daily necessities that have influenced the outcomes of many different empires. One major impact on the rise and fall of multiple domains that is often overlooked is food, and in particular, sugar. Sugar has affected economies, the way of life, and industry all over the world. Sidney Mintz, author of Sweetness and Power, stops to discuss how sugar has been a basic building block that has developed and transformed Europe and America and how the world has changed the production and consumption of sugar from a luxury into a staple of our diet by ultimately altering eating habits and work patterns in modern times. Sugar has been the basis of Europe and America where very few Europeans knew about sucrose in 1000 A. D. but shortly after cane sugar was highly sought after but why? Was sugar only loved because of its sweetness? By 1650 the English nobility and wealthy were very inve...

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