Sugar Trivia

A 4g teaspoon of sugar has just 16 calories.

A grain of sugar under the microscope is a translucent crystal, reflecting light from its 14 facets like a jewel.

A pinch of sugar on the tongue is a traditional remedy for hiccups.

A spoonful of sugar added to a vase will prolong the life of freshly cut flowers.

A teaspoon of sugar after a hot curry will extinguish the furnace in your mouth.

Babies are born with an innate preference for the sweet taste.

Chemical manufacturers use sugar to grow penicillin.

During World War II only 4oz sugar was allowed to be bought per person per week as part of the rations.

Film stuntmen use bottles and plate glass windows made of sugar.

In the late 16th Century, a teaspoon of sugar cost the equivalent of ten pounds in London.

Our great grandmothers used sugar to starch their petticoats.

Sugar caramelizes under heat. Caramelization gives cooked vegetables a pleasing taste, colour and aroma. Sugar in glazes and sauces provides caramelized flavors for cooked meats.

Sugar hardens asphalt. It slows the setting of ready-mixed concrete and glue.

Sugar has been an important food ingredient for centuries. Experts place the origin of sugar in the South Pacific about 8000 years ago.

Sugar helps foods brown. When bread is toasted or cookies are baked, sugar combines with proteins to produce the appetizing brown colour and pleasing aromas.

Sugar helps heal wounds. Sugar has been used for centuries to successfully aid in the healing of wounds. Sugar dries the wound thus preventing the growth of bacteria.

Sugar inhibits mould and yeast growth. Sugar increases the useful life of jams and jellies by binding the water needed by mould and yeast for growth.

Sugar is brain food. Sugar, and carbohydrates in general, are converted to blood glucose - the fundamental fuel needed by the brain.

Sugar is used in leather tanning, printers' inks and dyes and even in textile sizing and finishing.

Sugar makes nutritious foods tasty enough to eat. Just imagine what healthy foods like oatmeal, grapefruit and bran muffins would taste like without a sprinkle of sugar.

Sugar softens acidity in foods. Sugar improves the taste of salad dressings, tomato sauces and many other acidic foods by balancing their tartness.

Three or four cubes of sugar in a suitcase before storing it will help prevent damp odours.