ABSTRACT
For many, the word “carbohydrate” means the food of survival, but for others it is synonymous with “sugar”. All carbohydrates have a formula that is a multiple of CH2O, though their structures are very different. “Sugar” means a sweet-tasting substance, usually a carbohydrate that is a monosaccharide or disaccharide; most often this is sucrose, lactose, or fructose, especially sucrose, which is table sugar. Along with spices, sugar originated in Asia and †rst entered Europe from the East in the wake of the Crusades, providing an alternative to traditional sweeteners like honey.
