In “Sweetness and Power,” Mintz analyzes the history of production and consumption of sugar in Europe. Through the effects of colonization on production and the connection between sugar’s symbolism and usage, the consumption habits between socioeconomic classes within English society will be examined, specifically the expansion of its use from the elite to popular classes.
To begin, the crusaders who “became the supervisors of sugar-cane cultivation” (28) had introduced Europe to sugar in the twelfth century. With its introduction, Europeans became fascinated, unable to satiate their appetites for the plant and desired a stake in producing their own. In the case of the United Kingdom (UK), they had acquired “Barbados, Jamaica, and other sugar …show more content…
Sugar was an expensive item that was prized by the elites as a representation of their wealth and power but was still use quite sparingly. However, with its commodification, “its potency as a symbol of power declined,” (95) causing the rise of several variations of usage that deviated from status and prestige, some of which are “medicine, spice-condiment, decorative material, sweetener, and preservative” (78). Mintz calls this process extensification which describes the relationship between “those in power [who] may take charge of the availability of the new products [and] the new users [who] inform them with meaning”; (152) in essence, the elites, who had control over the sugar supply, allowed the popular classes to gain access. Without imitation, the popular classes developed their own means of sugar consumption and this development led to a much higher demand for sugar throughout the population. And since sugar was so plentiful and cheap, it no longer needed to be used sparingly in recipes thus also increasing usage. Hence “the many new uses for sucrose…eventuated in a modern multifunctional mass consumption,” (134) transforming it from luxury item to commodity for all, especially for the popular