Sugary note

The World
The World

Sugar is often the first and last thing we taste every day. Sugar can originated in Polynesia. By the time it got to Persia people were very impressed with it. European fascination was so intense that people kept their sugar under lock and key. Sugar plantation were enormously popular. An alternative to sugar cane was then sought. Magraaf figured out how to extract sugar from the plain white beet and sugar beet farming then caught on rapidly, becoming the a major product in Europe. Today sugar from cane is still the dominate source of sugar worldwide but beets still are harvested for sugar.

Will you support The World? 

The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?