"Forty years after first chewing on sugar cane in New Guinea, the home of sugar, the author underwent some complex dental work as a direct result of his sweet tooth. This led him to explore sugar cane's journey from New Guinea to Shakespeare's England. In the days before dentistry, people paid dearly for this sweet new food from exotic places - Queen Elizabeth I became so partial to hippocras, sugared almonds and pastilles that her teeth turned completely black." "Bittersweet explores the effects that sugar has had on the world. This foodstuff that we take for granted - and indulge in more than we should - has caused wars and geopolitical balances that have shaped the modern world and the power balances we see in the 21st century."--BOOK JACKET.