[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.