True Treats
Raw Amber Beet Sugar
$5.25
This amber-colored raw sugar is made from the sugar beet, not the red beet eaten at home. It was used by Napoleon for his troops, unable to get cane sugar due to British blockades, and by abolitionists who boycotted sugar due to its role in slavery. The beet crystals have a richer flavor than processed cane. Use in tea, coffee, or cooking. Comes in a recyclable jar with a tag telling the story on the label.
A Bit of History
In the mid-1700s, Andreas Sigismund Marggraf, a German chemist, discovered that sugar could be extracted from the beet. In the U.S., this beet sugar was used as a replacement for cane sugar, boycotted by abolitionists in the 1800s because of its role in enslavement. Unlike other alternatives, such as sorghum, the beet sugar crystallized much like cane did and became increasingly popular after the Civil War. Today, over 50% of the sugar Americans eat is processed sugar beet – this bag is raw.