Sugar Production in the Islamic Period: An Archaeological Perspective
Sugar is one of the most common items to be found in a household pantry, it is one of the cheapest ingredients one can buy at the grocery store, and it is an integral part of thousands of recipes, particularly sweet dishes. But how did it grow to be so popular? How did the cane sugar plant, native to a tropical climate and requiring a lot of water, a lot of heat and a lot of labor to process become part of a thriving industry? How did a luxury item become as abundant as water? The roots of this phenomenon can be found in the Islamic Period. The explosion of the sugar trade in this period was brought on by new developments in its production, helping this substance enter new international trade markets. This industry flourished under Ayyubid and Mamluk rule, giving many new peoples a sweet tooth and laying the foundations for the modern sugar industry. Sugar production was not new in the Islamic period, even the ancient Greeks and Romans were awar...