Beet remains have been excavated in the Third dynasty Saqqara pyramid at Thebes, Egypt, and four charred beet fruits were found in the Neolithic site of Aartswoud in the Netherlands. However, it is difficult to determine whether these are domesticated or wild forms of B. vulgaris.
Napoleon, cut off from Caribbean imports by a British blockade and at any rate not wanting to fund British merchants, banned sugar imports in 1813. This cut off supplies of sugar produced from sugar cane. The beet sugar industry that emerged in consequence thrived..