[remarkEon]

Yeah I should’ve made it clear in my comment that I agree with you, I think the fetishism of pre-historic humans is a little odd. Of course there’s things to learn, but it’s strange to think that a period when you died from something as trivial as a minor infection is somehow ideal. I was only nitpicking on the dental thing, because eating so much sugar really is relatively new in human history and is the source of a number of health problems, beyond bad teeth.

[OJFord]

Probably not so modern in regions with native sugar cane? E.g. doesn't jaggery (unrefined cane sugar reduced to a semi-solid block) production in India and thereabouts go back centuries?

Certain palms are also (and have been for... Again I don't know, but I believe 'a very long time') 'milked' for a sugary sap that's drunk fresh or fermented.