Crystallised sugar
AI-drafted · awaiting admin review
Was sugar first crystallised from cane juice in India?
India first (well documented)Technology & engineering
Indian claim
Indians first made solid, crystallised sugar from sugarcane juice; the Sanskrit words 'sharkara' and 'khanda' gave the world 'sugar' and 'candy'.
Evidence for the Indian claim
- Greek writers who came with Alexander (c. 326 BCE) described Indian 'reeds that make honey without bees'.
- Sanskrit texts describe several grades of sugar, and by the Gupta era (c. 300–550 CE) crystal sugar was produced and traded.
- Chinese records say Tang emperors sent envoys to India in the 7th century to learn sugar-making.
Commonly credited to
Sugarcane was first domesticated in New Guinea, and sugar refining was later improved in Persia, the Arab world, China and the Caribbean.
Evidence for the other claim
- The sugarcane plant was domesticated in New Guinea before reaching India.
What historians and scientists say
The first credible evidence for making granulated sugar comes from ancient India, and the words 'sugar' and 'candy' come from Sanskrit. The plant itself came from New Guinea.