bunnyjadwiga (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bunnyjadwiga) wrote2009-05-27 12:36 pm
bunnyjadwiga) wrote2009-05-27 12:36 pm
Entry tags:
Sugar confusion
Why is it that so many people are so convinced that beet sugar (invented in the Napoleonic era) is *more* ancient and specifically medieval than cane sugar (the original form of sugar)? Why do people think that cane sugar was not available in the middle ages and renaissance?
What can we do to combat this?
What can we do to combat this?
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My guess is that it's because beets are seen as boring Old World roots, & sugar cane is tropical & exotic-never mind that sugar cane can grow in the lower 48 states & parts of the Mediterranean.
Why do people think that cane sugar was not available in the middle ages and renaissance?
It's the "exotic & tropical" thing. I'm guessing that most Americans think of Hawaii or Puerto Rico when they think of cane sugar, & not Madeira or Sicily, both of which grew the crop. I'd also put it to the abysmally poor education we get about the history of our food.
What can we do to combat this?
Not sure-this is a cultural meme from the general US culture, not a SCAdian artefact.
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