Boiling Down Sweetness

The Dark Side of Sugar



The Rise of Barbados Sugar Wealth. Sugarcane growing began in Barbados in the early 1640s, when the Dutch came to help with sugar production. By the mid-17th century, Barbados had become one of the wealthiest colonies in the British Empire, earning the nickname "Little England." But all was not sweetness in the land of Sugar as we discover next:



The Boiling Process: A Lealthal Job

Producing sugar in the 17th and 18th centuries was  an unforgiving procedure. After collecting and crushing the sugarcane, its juice was boiled in enormous cast iron kettles till it crystallized into sugar. These pots, often arranged in a series called a"" train"" were heated by blazing fires that enslaved Africans needed to stoke continuously. The heat was suffocating, , and the work unrelenting. Enslaved employees withstood long hours, frequently standing close to the inferno, risking burns and exhaustion. Splashes of the boiling liquid were not unusual and could trigger extreme, even fatal, injuries.

A Life of Constant Peril

The risks were constant for the enslaved workers charged with working these kettles. They worked in sweltering heat, inhaling dangerous gases from the boiling sugar and burning fuel. The work required extreme effort and accuracy; a moment of negligence might result in accidents. Despite these obstacles, shackled Africans brought amazing skill and ingenuity to the procedure, making sure the quality of the final product. This item sustained economies far beyond Barbados" coasts.


Now, the big cast iron boiling pots points out this uncomfortable past. Spread throughout gardens, museums, and archaeological sites in Barbados, they stand as silent witnesses to the lives they touched. These relics motivate us to reflect on the human suffering behind the sweet taste that once drove global economies.


HISTORICAL RECORDS!


Proof of The Deadly Truth of the Sugar Boiling House

Historic accounts, such as those by abolitionist James Ramsay, uncover the covert horrors of Caribbean sugar plantations. Enslaved workers endured severe heat and the continuous hazard of falling into boiling vats-- a grim reality of plantation life.



Molten Memories: The Iron Kettles of Sugar - See the Blog for More

Boiling Down Sweetness