Sugar Part 2

More fun facts about sugar Stabilizes whipped egg foams Provides food for yeast Reduces iciness and hardness in frozen desserts Provides a source of acid for leavening Prevents microbial growth Adds sheen to icings Promotes a crisp crust Promotes spread in cookies Provides energy for the body (carbohydrates)

History of Sugar Sugar Cane Tall, reedy grass First found in the South Pacific 8,000 years ago Migrated west to India, China, and Persia (Iran) Countries extracted and purified sugar as crystals or syrup for the past 3,000 years Europeans used ripened fruit or honey as sweetners Sugar came to Europe during the Crusades in the 11th and 12th century Considered so valuable used as medicine Spanish explorers brought the cultivation of sugar cane into Africa and The New World making sugar more readily available throughout Europe

Sugar Cane cont. Slaves were brought from Africa to the New World to work the sugar cane plantations In the 1800’s sugar refining methods improved, prices came down making sugar more available to the middle class Grown in more tropical or warmer climates

Sugar Beets White, fleshy root with a flat crown First identified by a German Chemist Andreas Marssgraf in 1747 Refined by the French in the 1800’s The Napoleonic Wars created a need for a domestic source for sugar Anti-slavery movement in Europe and the Americas increased sugar beet cultivation Sugar beets grow in climates without extensive labor (ex. Michigan) Predominant source of sugar in Europe