Boiling Down Sweetness
The Bitter Side of Sweet In 18th-century Barbados, sugar production depended on cast-iron syrup kettles, a method later on adopted in the American South. Sugarcane was crushed utilizing wind and animal-powered mills. The extracted juice was boiled, clarified, and evaporated in a series of iron pots of reducing size to make crystallized sugar. The Sweet Land: Barbados Sugar Economy. Barbados, often called the "Gem of the Caribbean," owes much of its historical prominence to one commodity: sugar. This golden crop changed the island from a small colonial outpost into a powerhouse of the worldwide economy during the 17th and 18th centuries. Yet, the sweet success of sugar was built on a structure of shackled labour, a fact that casts a shadow over its legacy. The Dangerous Labour Of Sugar In the glory of Barbados' sun-soaked shores and dynamic plant lies a darker tale of resilience and difficulty-- the dangerous labour behind its once-thriving sugar economy. Central to this ...