Sugar: A Global History

Historian and food researcher Andrew F. Smith presents in "Sugar: A Global History" (published under the food history and heritage series by the Kalima Translation Project at the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre) a fascinating historical and economic study probing the substance that changed the face of the world and turned sweetness into a commodity driving empires. The book narrates sugar's contradiction-filled story, starting from its early extraction in Asia and discovery as a "rare medicine" in ancient times, through its transformation into white gold that fueled colonial trade and the tragedies of slavery, to its widespread presence in every contemporary home and table, alongside the health challenges it poses today. Through a dramatic and accessible style blending political anthropology with human narrative aesthetics, the author illustrates how this magical taste contributed to reshaping economic systems, lifestyles, and international policies across the ages.

Because it uncovers the historical, political, and economic roots of the simplest substance we consume daily, simplifying how sugar ruled human history, its wars, and economies.

For human and food history enthusiasts, political economy researchers, and anyone passionate about discovering the astonishing stories hidden behind the simplest details of our lives.