The History of Sugar

By: Kelley Fanto Deetz, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Kelley Fanto Deetz

Call it dextrose, fructose, maltose, or sucrose. Have it powdered or granulated, by the teaspoon or cube, dark brown or light brown, refined or raw. Taste it in a thick slice of birthday cake, a palmful of chocolate candies, or a snifter of dark rum.

Whatever the form, whatever the treat - sugar drives us wild like nothing else. It’s lingered on our tongues for millennia and found its way into almost every household in the world.

Alas, the history of sugar is far from sweet. Long before it was linked to America’s obesity epidemic, sugar was fueling the dark forces of exploitation, colonization, conquest, and slavery. More than just candy and cake, sugar has drastically altered the diets, cultures, and economies of the modern world. How can we love sugar while having a healthy relationship with its bittersweet history?

From the earliest cultivation of sugarcane in Asia, to the brutal conditions on colonial sugar plantations, to the multibillion-dollar industry that dominates our grocery aisles today, The History of Sugar offers you a host of surprising insights into human nature. As historian Kelley Fanto Deetz reveals in her fascinating Audible Original, our relationship to this commodity showcases its incredible capacity to lure, to addict, to transform humans to bow to its sweetness at almost all costs - and still bring us together in moments of undeniably delicious joy and celebration.

©2021 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC.

More than just sugar

I like how Deetz gives a thorough description of the associated slavery. However, she makes it sound like old-world slavery was positively charming compared to new-world slavery, and old-world slavery, especially as practiced by Africans, was acceptable since it was part of the culture. She also glosses over the Mayans’ sacrifice of thousands of human beings, and equates their display of victims’ skulls to Catholics’ veneration of corporeal relics. The book seems to be a repudiation of the treatment of slaves (which we all agree was horrific) and capitalism as much as a history of sugar. Nevertheless, I did like it and learned some things I didn’t know before.

sugar unwrapped

With a voice that is warm, inviting, and approachable, Deetz’s deep dive into the history of sugar — from human’s prehistoric evolutionary relationship, to cultivation, to the socioeconomic impact of the crop — draws a thread through time and across nearly every continent. Sugar is a cultural touchpoint I had not previously considered. I would categorize Deetz in a rank alongside other anthropological food-writing greats such as Mark Kurlansky (“Cod” and “Salt”) and Michael Pollan (“Botany of Desire” and “Omnivore’s Dilemma”). The lectures are organized into sub-topics and each lecture presented chronologically, seamlessly transitioning from one lecture to the next. I find myself in a state of intellectual satiety of being simultaneously “perfectly full” and hungry for more!

Diabetic gets schooled

The History of Sugar and how it changed society is great to know.

My ten year battle is shared by millions of other people.

Great depth and reach pleasurable history.

after reading capital and ideology, as well as the history of debt, this book sews together are really clear picture of Atlantic history.

loved it

this is an amazing journey into history. some of the content is disturbing... not only in what sugar did to us, but what it's done to people throughout our colonial history.

I'm informed and empowered by what I learnt - not only about sugar, but about the west indies, Britain, spanish, Portuguese and the African tribes of the times.

we, humans, can be horrible people.

Narrator Great, Old Sugar History

Great narrator who clearly pronounces her words and has emotion and timing with the story.

The content is extremely interesting and deep. truely only history though from pre 1950s mostly. very little on recent history.

Would love it to include more information on the recent history of sugar and diet trends or characteristics of the nutrition label changes around sugar

Book about slavery

Although slavery played a part of the history of sugar. I felt the book was more about the history of slavery with a secondary focus on sugar history

“Colombo?” Really?

The information was interesting and accurate. The narrator was a little stiff but acceptable. Yet the use of “Colombo” for “Christopher Columbus” was an irritating, annoying academic vanity. Why bother?

Interesting History

No idea why I picked this, but I enjoyed the lectures and learning about sugar. It was fascinating how complex sugar’s history is!

Citche

Too anecdotal, too preachy, narrator was too ‘gee whiz!’ Should have been titled slavery’s impact on sugar production.