Sweet, sweet sugar

Ever wondered where those sweet tiny crystals you put in your coffee or tea come from? It turns out that civilizations have been using them as far back as 8000 B.C. in New Guinea. The people of New Guinea were the first to domesticate sugar.

Sugar originated from south Asia and southeast Asia. Early sugar crystalizing methods were introduced to China through the traveling monks. Early processing techniques involved grinding and pounding the sugar cane until the juices were extracted. The juices were then boiled down until they were caramelized, then alter dried in the sun, resulting in gravel-like crystals. The Chinese were the first to establish a sugar industry in the 7th century. Eventually, cultivation lead to Indochina, India, the Middle East, and Europe. By the 1790's, sugar prices soared so high in Great Britain, that they had to call in the East India Company to help alleviate the prices.

It wasn't until the 18th century that sugar production was mechanized. During 1768, Jamaica ran the first steam engine powered sugar mill.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_sugar)

(Magnification of sugar crystals)

(Brown Sugar)