Sweeteners in History

Early human beings were familiar with the concept of sweetness from fruits and honey. The description of sugarcane, syrup, and foods sweetened with sugarcane in the Sanskrit epic of the Ramayana (ca. 1200 bce) is one of the earliest documented references to sweeteners. The technology of making sugar by squeezing sugarcane and boiling the juice down into crystals for later use was developed in India around 500 bce. Consequently, sugar came to be known as Indian salt.