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The History of Sugar

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The History of Sugar

By: Kelley Fanto Deetz, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Kelley Fanto Deetz
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About this listen

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.
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well narrated

The course was very well presented, clearly organised, interesting and informative. I would recommend for anyone interested in history and economy, or simply curious about how we got to where we are from the perspective of our love for sugar.

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well...

for historical point..well it was terrible to hear how people get sugar.
no nutritious value or medical information about subject.

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Sweet treat.

Excellent, entertaining history of sugar. Encompasses the history of empire, slavery and other societal changes linked to sugar.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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The WOKE version, long on option, short on facts.

Give this a pass if you are looking for unbiased information about the history of sugar.

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Too 'Woke' American to be of any value

If you are into intersectionality and CRT then this might be yet another approved resource. Otherwise it is disappointing from the get go. A shame as it is a fascinating and complex historical topic.

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Sugar coated history of sugar

The history of sugar is inextricably linked to the African diaspora in which millions of people were forcibly transported in slave ships from Western and Central Africa to different regions throughout the Americas and the Caribbean over a period of three centuries. The description of plantation life with make for uncomfortable listening for some who would prefer to ignore this period of modern history and focus on the abolitionist movement of the nineteenth century. Listening to this short book by historical archaeologist and historian Kelley Fanto Deetz it would be easy to assume that sugar plantations existed in the Caribbean islands but not in the United States. Maybe this is a reflection of the US audience that makes up the majority of the listeners of these Great Courses but I cannot help think that the author has chosen to sugar coat this story for her audience.

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2 people found this helpful