Asugarloaf was the usual form in whichrefined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, whengranulated andcube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which darkmolasses, a rich raw sugar that was imported from sugar-growing regions, such as the Caribbean and Brazil,[1] was refined into white sugar.
The earliest record to date appears to be 12th century in Jordan,[2] though reference to a cone of sugar is found inal-Zubayr ibn Bakkar's 9th century ArabicAl-Akhbar al-Muwaffaqiyyat. In Europe, they were made in Italy from 1470, Belgium from 1508, England from 1544, the Netherlands from 1566, Germany from 1573, and France from 1613.[3] When refining fromsugar beet began in mainland Europe in 1799, loaves were produced in the same way.
Until the mid-19th century, the British government used a system of punitive taxes to make it impossible for its colonial producers in theCaribbean to refine their own sugar and supply Britain with finished sugarloaves. Previously, theAmsterdam industry had been similarly protected from the importation ofEast India white sugar.[3] Instead, a dark raw sugar ormuscovado, produced on theplantations by initial boilings of the fresh cane juice, was shipped inhogsheads toEurope on what was the third leg of thetriangular trade.
The sugarloaf was also the sign of agrocer, often found outside their premises or in the window,[4] and sometimes found on theirtrade tokens.[5]
Theraw sugar was refined by a series ofboiling andfiltering processes. After the final boiling, it was considered ready forgranulation and was poured into a large number of inverted conical molds. These were usually made of either brownearthenware or sheetiron with an internal treatment ofslip or paint respectively, and each stood in its own collecting pot. Over the next few days most of the dark syrup and noncrystalline matter drained through a small hole in the bottom of themould into the collecting pot. To improve the whiteness of the sugar, repeated applications of either a solution of whiteclay or of loaf sugar dissolved in warm water was applied to the broad end of the loaf. This slowly drained through the loaf, readily uniting with any remainingmolasses or other coloring matter and removing it to the collecting pot. The loaves were then tapped out of the molds, dried in astore room containing hundreds of loaves, trimmed to their final shape and wrapped, usually in blue paper to enhance their white appearance.[1]
Before use, a sugarloaf had to be cut into smaller pieces using various implements: sugar axes, sugar hammers, sugar nips, sugar choppers, sugar scrapers, etc.
See
Media related tosugar-related equipment at Wikimedia Commons for more.
The molds, and so the sugarloaves, varied in size considerably: the larger the loaf the lower the grade of sugar. The grade determined the price, though loaves were sold by weight and the sugar refiner was taxed on the weight of sugar sold.[6] When a new batch ofraw sugar was refined, the best sugar came from the first boiling. After that, the waste and trimmings from the first boiling were returned to the beginning of the process and mixed with further raw sugar for the second boiling, and, as this was repeated to the end of the batch, subsequent boilings reduced slightly in quality. The finest of the loaves—maybe 5 inches (13 cm) in diameter and 5 inches (13 cm) high—were extremely expensive owing to the prolonged repeating of the whitening process, as were the somewhat larger double refined loaves from the first few boilings. Lower grades of sugar were more difficult tocrystallize and so larger molds were used—usually 10–14 inches (25–36 cm) in diameter and up to about 30 inches (76 cm) high—with loaves weighing up to 35 pounds (16 kg). The lowest standard refined grades were called bastards, though an even lower grade was often produced from the filtration scums, usually by a scum-boiler at his own separate premises.[1]
Households bought their white sugar in tall, conical loaves, from which pieces were broken off with special iron sugar-cutters (sugar nips). Shaped something like very large heavy pliers with sharp blades attached to the cutting sides, these cutters had to be strong and tough, because the loaves were large, about 14 inches (36 cm) in diameter at the base, and 3 feet (0.91 m) [15th century]...In those days, sugar was used with great care, and one loaf lasted a long time. The weight would probably have been about 30 pounds (14 kg). Later, the weight of a loaf varied from 5 to 35 pounds (2.3 to 15.9 kg), according to the moulds used by any one refinery. A common size was 14 pounds (6.4 kg), but the finest sugar from Madeira came in small loaves of only 3 to 4 pounds (1.4 to 1.8 kg) in weight...Up till late Victorian times household sugar remained very little changed and sugar loaves were still common and continued so until well into the twentieth century...
— Elizabeth David,English Bread and Yeast Cookery[7]
While mostly superseded by granulated and cube sugar, sugarloaves are still produced in some countries. In Iran, for instance, sugarloaves, (کلهقند in Persian), are commonly available and regularly consumed. They are also particularly common inGermany, where, for instance, small loaves are a required ingredient for the traditional Christmas-season drinkFeuerzangenbowle.[8][9]
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