characteristic of sugar as a spice was the amount used compared to other ingredients. The English diet in the twelfth century was bland and basic, being primarily bread with some meat, dairy, vegetables, or fruit. Sugar changed how the food tasted in small amounts, like other spices such as nutmeg or saffron. The next phase of sugar’s evolution was as a decoration. Sugar as a decoration began in the sixteenth century and started as a symbol of nobility. Special pastes were made from sugar, and these pastes were able to be formed into sculptures. The sculptures were at special events such as parties or coronations, and onlookers could admire them before eating them. The sugar sculptures served as a symbol of power and are key links between sweetness and power. As a sweetener, sugar’s importance relates to the rise of three beverages bitter on their own: tea, chocolate, and coffee. To make these drinks more palatable, consumers added sugar to them, especially the British. Initially, only the wealthy consumed these drinks in Britain, with chocolate being the favored but more expensive choice. Eventually, all three beverages became accessible for Britain’s working class and poor, with tea being both their preferred and cheaper option. Meanwhile, sugar’s value as a preservative had varied usages globally, but two prominent uses were evident in Britain. Before the nineteenth century, delicacies like preserved fruit were luxury items that the British royalty and wealthy enjoyed. However, as industrialization raged in nineteenth-century Britain, preserved fruit became mass-produced, so the working class and poor in Britain had the opportunity to savor these goods. As time progressed, so too did the availability of items. No longer was an item too costly, making it inaccessible to one class; rather, everyone had access to sugar and items associated with the commodity. 

 

Mintz emphasizes sugar’s transition from a luxury to a commonplace good in British society. Today, sugar is ubiquitous both in Britain and worldwide, but it was not always that way. Sugar was initially a symbol of luxury, and “during the thirteenth century…its price put it beyond the reach of all but the wealthiest” (loc. 1824-1825). Through the seventeenth century, sugar held a place at the wealthy’s tables, being the ultimate symbol of status. Kings such as Henry IV and Henry VI had large decorations made of sugar for their coronations, and they were not alone as “…kings and archbishops were displaying magnificent sugar castles and mounted knights” (loc. 2036). As sugar production increased, Britain had more and more sugar imported. This increased supply lowered the cost and made it available to the middle and lower class. The first use of sugar by the lower classes was to sweeten tea consumed on work breaks. Over time, what started as a simple addition to a work-time “snack” led to a huge rise in caloric consumption of sugar. Sugar began to appear in more and more foods, and soon it was an essential part of everyone’s diet. By 1850, the poorer classes consumed more sugar than the wealthy due to its abundance in everyday foods. Thus, sugar was fully transformed into a commonplace good, completing its evolution to the sugar known today.

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