Pliny the Elder described sugar, but he said that it was used only for medicinal purposes, presumably because having to be imported from India through Arabia it was available only in small quantities and at high prices.
However, besides the more expensive honey, boiled concentrated grape juice was widely used as a sweetener, for most purposes where today sugar would be used.
The Roman army must have had good deductibles.
And CDI plans better than those in year MMXXV.
MMDCCLXXVIII AVC
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ab_urbe_condita
MMXXV is a legitimate usage of Roman numerals, but CDI is unauthorized
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good selection of conscripts
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Too poor to afford sugar.
Actually bread was the most common issue for poor dental hygiene at this time.
Flour was ground by stone, tiny pieces of stone made its way into the bread, and the stone stripped the enamel from teeth.
So youre saying micro stones in the food supply were causing a public health crisis?
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ugh!
And still not as dangerous as adding sugar to everything
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Sugar (cane or refined) wasn't really a thing in the Roman period, even for those who could theoretically have afforded it.
Pliny the Elder described sugar, but he said that it was used only for medicinal purposes, presumably because having to be imported from India through Arabia it was available only in small quantities and at high prices.
However, besides the more expensive honey, boiled concentrated grape juice was widely used as a sweetener, for most purposes where today sugar would be used.
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They had a very toxic replacement though, basically grape juice sirup rendered down in lead kettles.
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