The tale of sugar: How this savoury commodity traversed the ancient world via India
Sugar has become an essential part of our lives — from cakes to your daily cup of tea, it has become an inseparable component of our diets.
Ever wondered how and when this ingredient was produced? This article tries to analyse the same, in a concise manner.
The interesting etymology of sugar reflects upon how this commodity traversed the globe The English word “sugar” originates from the Arabic word سكر (sukkar), which came from the Persian شکر (shekar), from Tamil சக்கரை (Sakkarai) derived from Sanskrit शर्करा (śarkarā).
A similar etymological pattern is observed for jaggery. The English word jaggery came from Portuguese xagara (or jagara), derived from Malayalam chakkarā from the Sanskrit word śarkarā.
In the tradition of Indian medicine (āyurveda), the sugarcane is known by the name Ikṣu and the sugarcane juice is known as Phāṇita. Its varieties, synonyms and characteristics are defined in nighaṇṭus such as the Bhāvaprakāśa (group of sugarcanes).
Sugar remained relatively unimportant until Indians discovered methods of turning sugarcane juice into granulated crystals that were easier to store and to transport.
Crystallized sugar was discovered by the time of the Imperial Guptas, around the 5th century CE. In Hindi, these crystals were called khanda (Devanagari: खण्ड, Khaṇḍa), which is interestingly the etymological source of the word “candy”- which is still used in the Shivaliks & Lower Himalayas to refer to crystalline sugar.
Ancient India was a prosperous maritime hub with numerous ships sailing past its shores, which were of economic importance. The Indian sailors, who carried clarified butter (English term for Ghee) and sugar as supplies, introduced knowledge of sugar along the numerous trade routes they travelled — spreading the knowledge of creation of sugar in Europe, China, South East Asia as well as Africa.
During the reign of Harsha (606–647 CE) in North India, Indian envoys in Tang China taught methods of cultivating sugarcane after Emperor Taizong of Tang (626–649 CE) made known his interest in sugar. China then later established its first sugarcane plantations in the 7th Century, after acquiring the necessary technology and preparation techniques from India.
The fame of Indian sugar manufacturing spread far and wide due to trade via Indian merchants in markets abroad. Chinese documents confirm at least two missions to India, initiated in 647 CE, to specifically obtain technology for sugar refining — for building sugar plantations.
“Cheeni” ( A common Hindi term for sugar) actually refers to the white crystallised form of sugar found in China, which resemble the white porcelain of the region. Sugar made from sugarcane was made in India around 800 BC, but it was *generally* the coarse, brown sugar.
The Chinese began making sugar sometime in the 7th century AD, and in fact the Chinese ambassador to the court of King Harsha, Li-I-piao, was tasked with the job of smuggling information on how to produce the excellent sugar that India made.
Although the Chinese liked the flavour, the Emperor disliked the brown colour, so they used the technique of refining sugar, producing the white crystalline solid we call “cheeni”. They had specifically sent two diplomatic missions from China to learn the technique in India.
