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Biography
dablink|This article refers to sugarloaf as a form of sugar. For all other uses, see sugarloaf (disambiguation) .A sugarloaf was the traditional form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process that saw the dark molasses -rich raw sugar, which had been imported from sugar cane growing regions such as the Caribbean and Brazil , refined into white sugar. http://www.mawer.clara.net/usefularts.html 'The Useful Arts and Manufactures of Great Britain - Sugar", Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1846.. Due to its resemblance to a sugarloaf cone, the early Portuguese explorers who discovered Rio de Janeiro in 1502, named Sugarloaf Mountain (Brazil)| Sugarloaf Mountain , nowadays one of the city's major tourist attractions.
History
It is not known when sugarloaves were first made, however the earliest record to date appears to be 12th century in Jordan . http://www.mymuseumoflondon.org.uk/blogs/blog/an-archaeological-project-in-jordan/ "An Archaeological Project in Jordan", Museum of London blog site In Europe , they were made in Italy from 1470, Belgium 1508, England 1544, Holland 1566, Germany 1573 and France 1613. When refining from sugar beet began in mainland Europe in 1799, loaves were produced in the same way and are still common in some parts, especially in Germany , where small loaves are a required ingredient for the Christmas season drink Feuerzangenbowle .
Until the mid-19th century, the British government used a system of punitive taxes to make it impossible for its colonial producers in the Caribbean to refine their own sugar and supply United Kingdom|Britain with finished sugarloaves. Previously the Amsterdam industry had been similarly protected from the importation of East India white sugar.History of Sugar - Vol 2, by Noel Deerr, London: Chapman & Hall. 1950 Instead, a dark raw sugar or muscovado , produced on the plantations by initial boilings of the fresh cane juice, was shipped in hogsheads to Europe on what was the third leg of the infamous Triangular Trade .
The raw sugar was refined by a series of boiling and filtering processes. When, at the final boiling, it was considered ready for granulation it was poured into a large number of inverted conical moulds. These were usually made of either brown earthenware or sheet iron with an internal treatment of slip or paint respectively, and each stood in its own collecting pot. Over the next few days most of the dark syrup and uncrystalline matter drained through a small hole in the bottom of the mould into the collecting pot. To improve the whiteness of the sugar repeated applications of either a solution of white clay 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 remaining molasses or other colouring matter and removing it to the collecting pot. The loaves were then tapped out of the moulds, dried in a stove room that would have contained hundreds of loaves, trimmed to their final shape and wrapped, usually, in blue paper to enhance their whiteness.
: "(H)ouseholds 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 convert|14|in|cm in diameter at the base, and convert|3|ft|m15th century...In those days, sugar was used with great care, and one loaf lasted a long time. The weight would probably have been about convert|30|lb|kg. Later, the weight of a loaf varied from convert|5|to|35|lb|kg, according to the moulds used by any one refinery. A common size was convert|14|lb|kg, but the finest sugar from Madeira came in small loaves of only convert|3|to|4|lb|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..." :"English Bread and Yeast Cookery", Elizabeth David Penguin:MiddlesexDavid, Elizabeth. "English Bread and Yeast Cookery", Penguin:Middlesex 1977 (p. 139)
The sugarloaf was also the sign of a grocer , often found outside his premises or in the window,"The Story of Sugar" by L A G Strong, Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 1954 - Drawing by E T Parris. and sometimes found on his Token_coin#Trade_tokens_or_barter_tokens|trade tokens http://www.mawer.clara.net/miscellany.html.
