Pieces of sugar cane are chewed for their sugary syrup, and are
a popular street food in South Asia. This was the original use
of sugar cane - sugar extraction came later. Traditional methods
are still used to produce characteristic Indian sugars such as
gur. Plant a cane Look for fresh sugar cane in food shops - you
can grow a piece on your window sill. Jams and jellies Sugar is
an excellent preservative - hence its use in jam. A
controversial plant Sugar cane has been at the centre of bitter
disputes over its role in health, European Union sugar subsidies
and the transatlantic slave trade. It provided the original
incentive for European expansion and colonisation which has
shaped the world forever.