There were multiple social and cultural factors that contributed to the increased consumption of sugar in Britain. The diets of the people living in Britain during the 14th-17th centuries were notoriously poor because they lacked many parts of a decent diet. The consumption of sugar previously had been reserved only for the wealthy. But because of the increase in sugar production, many people who were not wealthy began to consume it, sometimes in place of other important parts of their food (pp. 77). Sugar was also categorized as a spice up until about the sixteenth century, when prices, supplies, and uses began to change very rapidly (pp. 86). An important social change that occurred was when the use of sugar for decoration spread down from the elites to lower stratums of society because different families utilized it to created subtle differences in their works. Sugar began to lose its performative and special importance to the elites once the lower classes were able to access and consume it. The use of sugar for medicinal purpose also helped to bridge the gap between the elites and the common people, though its use as a medicine began to decline as people were consuming it more frequently. Mintz also attributes the rise in sugar consumption to the rising popularity of tea in England (pp.114). Tea and sugar became an important part of the English people’s diet because of their ability to access both products. The most important factor for sugar’s increased consumption was probably its use as a preservative and as an additive to everyday items that were being consumed by the English public. Sugar became an important part of the common people’s diet because they did not obtain enough calories with the foods they ate every day and sugar helped to compensate for calories lost.
There were multiple social and cultural factors that contributed to the increased consumption of sugar in Britain. The diets of the people living in Britain during the 14th-17th centuries were notoriously poor because they lacked many parts of a decent diet. The consumption of sugar previously had been reserved only for the wealthy. But because of the increase in sugar production, many people who were not wealthy began to consume it, sometimes in place of other important parts of their food (pp. 77). Sugar was also categorized as a spice up until about the sixteenth century, when prices, supplies, and uses began to change very rapidly (pp. 86). An important social change that occurred was when the use of sugar for decoration spread down from the elites to lower stratums of society because different families utilized it to created subtle differences in their works. Sugar began to lose its performative and special importance to the elites once the lower classes were able to access and consume it. The use of sugar for medicinal purpose also helped to bridge the gap between the elites and the common people, though its use as a medicine began to decline as people were consuming it more frequently. Mintz also attributes the rise in sugar consumption to the rising popularity of tea in England (pp.114). Tea and sugar became an important part of the English people’s diet because of their ability to access both products. The most important factor for sugar’s increased consumption was probably its use as a preservative and as an additive to everyday items that were being consumed by the English public. Sugar became an important part of the common people’s diet because they did not obtain enough calories with the foods they ate every day and sugar helped to compensate for calories lost.
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