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What literature exists on sugar and confectionery in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?

  • My research focuses on the intersection of trade goods and social practice in Early Modern daily life.
  • I need to move past simple economic history to understand consumption patterns.
  • I'm looking for historiography that treats sugar as a cultural object, not just a commodity.
  • Guidance on key scholars or methodological approaches would be incredibly helpful.

All Answers (1 Answers In All)

By Atilia Answered 9 months ago

Excellent question. I often advise graduate students to start with the foundational work of Sidney Mintz in Sweetness and Power, which, while broader in chronology, provides the essential theoretical framework for viewing sugar as an agent of social change. From there, the literature really branches out. I would recommend looking into the work of scholars like Karen Hess for culinary techniques, and more recent socio-cultural histories by people like Kristin A. Sul for the 17th century. You’ll also find rich primary material in domestic account books, medical tracts, and culinary manuscripts of the period, which reveal the nuanced integration of sweets into rituals of health, hospitality, and display. This move from the economic to the experiential is where the most fascinating work is being done.

       

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