Throughout ancient times, sugar has been grown in the Indian subcontinent. Through the Khyber Pass,
cultivation has since expanded to modern-day Afghanistan. Early on, honey was more frequently used as a
sweetener since it was more plentiful and affordable. To taste the sweetness of raw sugarcane, people used to
chew it. Palm sugar was favoured in Java and other Southeast Asian countries that produced sugar even after
refined sugarcane became more commonly available, and coconut sugar is still used locally to make treats
today.
Tropical regions like the Indian subcontinent (South Asia) and Southeast Asia are where sugarcane is
indigenous. Different species appear to have come from various places, with Saccharum barberi coming from
India and S. S. edule and originating from New Guinea is officinarum.