Before sugar became the everyday ingredient in your biscuit or birthday cake, it began as something tall, green and grassy — the sugarcane plant. And it was children just like you who first tasted its magic. Imagine running home from school with muddy socks and being handed a sweet sugarcane stalk to chew on instead of a chocolate bar!
Sugarcane was first grown in India over 2,500 years ago. People discovered that if you boiled the juice from the stalks, it would become thick, crystal-like, and incredibly sweet. Ancient Indian texts even called it “sharkara”, the root of the English word “sugar.”
The knowledge of sugar-making spread from India to Persia, then to Arab countries, and finally to Europe. In the early days, sugar was so rare and expensive that it was called “white gold.” Kings and queens used it more for decoration than eating — like sculpting fancy animals or flowers out of it.
Only later, with plantations and trade across continents, did sugar become more common. Today, it’s made not just from sugarcane, but also from sugar beets — a type of root vegetable that grows in colder places.
But remember, while sugar adds sparkle to sweets, too much of it isn’t healthy. That’s why your school tiffin box has more fruits than fudge!