There are many sugarcane juice stands in central Mumbai, along with chai stands
While it seems surprising that India is one of the world's leading sugar producers, it is also understandable that it is the world's second largest producer of sugarcane, after Brazil. The fact that one frequently sees sugarcane juice stands alongside chai stands when walking around Mumbai is evidence of this.
To begin with, sugar production is said to have originated in ancient northern India. Not content with simply peeling the sugarcane and chewing the stalks to enjoy the sweet juice, the Indians created a technique to boil the juice in an earthen pot to solidify it. In the 4th century B.C., when Alexander the Great came to India on an expedition to Asia, he wrote about “honey that can be extracted from reeds without the help of bees” and “reeds that are sweet when chewed and stones that are sweet when chewed. It is evident that sugarcane was important to the people of India from ancient times.
Knowing this historical background, it makes sense that Indians have a hardcore sweet tooth, from the sweet chai they drink on the roadside to the sweets filled with sugar. The obsession with sweetness is not just a taste, but a culture that has been cultivated over a long period of history.
| Jan 2025 IN THE CITY INDIA | |
| MUMBAI STAND SUGAR CANE |
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PHOTO DATA
No
12762
Shooting Date
May 2024
Posted On
January 13, 2025
Place
Mumbai, India
Genre
Street Photography
Camera
SONY ALPHA 7R V
Lens
ZEISS BATIS 2/40 CF
