The Kettles of a Bitter Past
Boiling Down The Sweet The Rise of Sugar in Barbados. Sugarcane cultivation started in Barbados in the early 1640s, when Dutch merchants presented sugar production. The island's soil and favourable climate made it an ideal location for harvesting sugar. By the mid-17th century, Barbados had become one of the wealthiest colonies in the British Empire, earning the nickname "Little England."By the mid-17th century, Barbados had turned into 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 Producing sugar in the 17th and 18th centuries was a perilous procedure. After harvesting and squashing the sugarcane, its juice was boiled in massive cast iron kettles up until it crystallized into sugar. These pots, typically organized in a series called a"" train"" were warmed by blazing fires that e...