Sugar has been around for thousands of years! 🌱 It was first discovered in New Guinea, where ancient people found that sugarcane could be crushed to make sweet juice!

Did you know that the average person in the U.S. eats about 150 pounds of sugar each year? 🍬 That’s more than the weight of a fully-grown grizzly bear! 🐻

Sugar is made from two main plants: sugarcane and sugar beets. 🌾 These plants are processed to extract sugar, which is then turned into the sweet stuff we use in everything from drinks to snacks!

There’s a special kind of sugar called sucrose that’s made up of two smaller sugars: glucose and fructose. 🧪 It’s the type of sugar you find in most sweet treats!

The word sugar comes from the Arabic word “sukkar”, which means “sweet.” 🍭 Ancient civilizations used it not just for food but also for medicine!

Did you know that sugar can be used as a preservative? 🛡️ In ancient times, people used sugar to preserve fruits and jams, helping them last longer without spoiling!

The oldest candy known to have been made with sugar dates back over 1,500 years! 🍬 People in ancient India made sugar candies to sweeten their food and drinks.

In the Middle Ages, sugar was so rare and expensive that it was considered a luxury item, almost like gold! 💰

Sugar is used in a process called caramelization when it’s heated to make it brown and delicious! 🍮 That’s how we get things like caramel sauce and hard candy!

Sugar cane grows really tall, up to 12 feet! 🌱 It’s like the giant of the sugar world, and it’s mainly grown in tropical regions like Brazil and India.