The Bitter Cauldron
Boiling Sugar: The Bitter Side of Sweet In 18th-century Barbados, sugar production counted on cast-iron syrup kettles, a technique later embraced in the American South. Sugarcane was crushed utilizing wind and animal-powered mills. The drawn out juice was heated up, clarified, and evaporated in a series of cast-iron pots of decreasing size to produce crystallized sugar. The Bitter Sweet Land: Barbados Sugar Production. 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 little colonial outpost into a powerhouse of the international economy throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Yet, the sweet success of sugar was built on a foundation of oppressed labour, a fact that casts a shadow over its tradition. The Dangerous Labour Of Sugar In the glory of Barbados' sun-soaked shores and vibrant greenery lies a darker tale of strength and difficulty-- the hazardous labour beh...