On Food and Cooking

From    Sugarloaf   to  Sugar   Cube

Until the late 19th century, sugar was sold
in the conical masses formed by the
draining molds. These masses were called
loaves: hence the name “Sugarloaf” that
has been given to various hills and
mountains for their supposed resemblance.
In 1872, a onetime grocer’s assistant
named Henry Tate, who had worked his
way to the top of a Liverpool sugar
refinery, was shown an invention that cut
up sugarloaves into small pieces for
household use. Tate patented the device,
went into production, and in a short time
made a fortune with “Tate’s Sugar Cube.”
He became a philanthropist and built the
National Gallery of British Art, better
known as the Tate Gallery, which he filled
with his own collection.

Making  Sugar