The Kettles of a Bitter Past
The Hidden Side of Sugar: A History in Iron The Rise of Sugar in Barbados. Sugarcane cultivation started in Barbados in the early 1640s, when Dutch merchants presented sugar cane harvesting. The island's fertile soil and excellent climate made it the perfect area for sugar production. By the mid-17th century, Barbados had become one of the wealthiest nests 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 Sugar production in the days of colonial slavery was a perilous procedure. After harvesting and crushing the sugarcane, its juice was boiled in huge cast iron kettles till it crystallized into sugar. These pots, frequently organized in a series called a"" train"" were heated by blazing fires that workers had to stir continually. The heat was extreme, , and the work unrelenting. Enslaved employees withstood long hours,...