Sugar Changed the World

There were actually two problems with sugar production when one wanted to make vast amounts of it. One problem was time, and the other problem was fire. This sweet mass inside the stalks turned woody if they didn't get into a boiling vat on time. The Muslims set up a process, which later became known as a sugar plantation. It organized planting, growing, cutting, and refining crops. Large groups of workers worked together to process the sugar from cutting to final production.
Both Muslims and Christians began using slaves to work on the sugar plantations. Many of these slaves came from Russia or were prisoners from war.

The second problem was making the fires that kept the vats boiling. There was a huge need for wood since they hadn't yet figured out that they could use crushed cane stalks as fuel. In the 1400s, Spain and Portugal competed to explore the coast of Africa. They wanted to find cheaper spices. Along the way, they began to build sugar plantations on the islands, using African slaves to work them.