Final answer:
The sweetener of choice in early European recipes was honey, as sugar cane was not introduced to Europe until after the crusades. Honey remained the prevalent sweetener until the cultivation of sugar cane in the Americas and the development of systematic plantation production, which increased sugar's popularity in Europe.
Step-by-step explanation:
Before the introduction of sugar cane to Europe, the sweetener of choice in early European recipes was honey. Since sugar cane did not grow well in Europe's harsher climate, honey was the main sweetening agent available. It wasn't until after the crusades, which exposed Europeans to sugar through Arab traders, that sugar began to gain popularity. The Portuguese and Spanish cultivation of sugar cane on the Madeiras and Canary Islands in the 15th and 16th centuries and subsequent establishment of sugar plantations in the Americas fueled the rise of sugar as the preferred sweetener, eventually surpassing honey.
However, for much of the first millennium in Europe, honey remained the prevalent sweetener. The transition to sugar as a primary sweetener did not occur until the 17th century when European consumers developed a taste for it, and plantations in the New World began to systematically produce and export it to Europe. The increase in sugar consumption was closely tied to the growth of the transatlantic slave trade, which provided the labor necessary for the arduous task of sugar cane cultivation and processing.