The Bitter Cauldron
Boiling Sugar: The Bitter Side of Sweet The Sweet Economy: Barbados Sugar Economy. Barbados, frequently called the "Gem of the Caribbean," owes much of its historical prominence to one product: sugar. This golden crop transformed the island from a small colonial station into a powerhouse of the global economy throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Yet, the sweet success of sugar was built on a foundation of enslaved labour, a truth that casts a shadow over its tradition. Boiling Sugar: A Lealthal Job Making sugar in the days of colonial slavery was a perilous process. After gathering and crushing the sugarcane, its juice was boiled in enormous cast iron kettles until it crystallized into sugar. These pots, frequently organized in a series called a"" train"" were heated up by blazing fires that enslaved Africans needed to stir continuously. The heat was suffocating, and the work unrelenting. Enslaved employees withstood long hours, o...