Sugar cube

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Macro photo of sugar cubes Wurfelzucker -- 2018 -- 3582.jpg
Macro photo of sugar cubes

Sugar cubes are white sugar granules pressed into small cubes measuring approximately 1 teaspoon each. They are usually used for sweetening drinks such as tea and coffee. [1] They were invented in the early 19th century in response to the difficulties of breaking hard "sugarloafs" into small uniform size pieces. They are often found in cafes and restaurants, although their popularity as a DIY sweetener has waned with the rise of barista cafes. Nevertheless they still have many uses such as arts and crafts, as metaphor for the amount of sugar in a product, at formal events.

Contents

Size and packaging

Two-piece sugar cube packaging (Germany) Zuckerstueckchen.JPG
Two-piece sugar cube packaging (Germany)
Individually wrapped sugar cubes (France) Individually wrapped sugar cubes.jpg
Individually wrapped sugar cubes (France)

The typical size for each cube is between 16 by 16 by 11 millimetres (0.6 by 0.6 by 0.4 inches) and 20 by 20 by 12 millimetres (0.8 in × 0.8 in × 0.5 in), corresponding to the weight of approximately 3–5 grams, or approximately 1 teaspoon. [2] [3] [4] However, the cube sizes and shapes vary greatly, for example, playing card suits-shaped pieces are produced under the name "bridge cube sugar". [3]

The typical retail packaging weight is 0.5 kilogram (1 pound) or 1 kilogram / 2 pounds. [3]

In 1923 German wholesaler Karl Hellmann started packaging pair of cubes into individual wrappings with advertisements or collectible pictures on the sleeves. Originally very popular in cafés, by the 21st century they had been replaced with packets and sticks of granulated sugar. [2]

Manufacturing

When making the cubes, the granulated sugar is slightly (2–3%) moistened, placed into a mold and heated so that the moisture can escape. The firmness, density, and speed of dissolution of the cube are controlled via the crystal size of the granulated sugar, amount of water/steam added, molding pressure, and speed of drying. [3] The dissolution speed is important, as the consumers that place the sugar into their mouths prefer denser, slower-dissolving sugar. [1]

The input material usually requires a wide distribution of sizes (from 500 microns and up) for the cube stability. [1]

The cubes are made on the highly automated lines capable of processing up to 50 tons of sugar per day. Typically, one of the three common processes is used [1] to produce the more popular soft cubes: [5]

History

Sugarloaf cutting box with tools Sugarloaf Box - Open.jpg
Sugarloaf cutting box with tools

Historically, sugar was usually shipped as hard solid "sugarloafs", which are difficult to break into small uniform pieces, [5] giving rise to sharp tools and similar contraptions (see photo). The resulting pieces were irregular in size, and if the piece was too large, either sugar nips had to be used, or the piece had to be dunked into the tea cup, and after sufficient dissolution, removed and set aside. The latter option was described by Lev Tolstoy in his "Where Love Is, God Is": "Stepanich drank his glass, turned it upside down and set the leftover bit of sugar on it". [6]

Jakub Kryštof Rad, the Swiss inventor of the first sugar cube, started his effort after his wife hurt herself while chopping a sugarloaf. [6] Rad had made the first sugar cubes in the early 1840s by pressing moist sugar into a tray resembling the modern ice cube trays and letting the cubes dry. Despite Rad obtaining a patent in 1843, his business was ultimately unsuccessful. [5] [7]

The next breakthrough came almost 30 years later, when Eugen Langen, of Pfeifer & Langen, used a centrifuge to produce blocks of sugar that were subsequently cut into cubes. Henry Tate (Tate & Lyle) acquired from Langen exclusive rights for producing the cubes in Britain (on 13 March 1875 [8] ) and started the first large-scale manufacturing of cubes. [5] Tate placed a very large bet on the innovation, temporarily running through personal financial difficulties to the extent that he had to pull his daughter from the boarding school she attended. [9] The contract with Langen involved royalties, but the factory was successful, producing 214 tons of cubes in 1878 and 1,366 tons in 1888. [10]

In 1880 Tate acquired rights to another process, invented in Belgium by Gustav Adant, where sugar "tablets" were manufactured on rotating machines and then sliced into cubes (at the time, they were called "dominoes"). [5] The new process had replaced the Langen one in 1891 and was a huge success; standard quotes for refined sugar in London started to be expressed in Tate's cubes. [10] Adant's process is still used, for example, at the Raffinerie Tirlemontoise (since 1902), to make extremely hard cubes popular in Belgium, France, and Arab countries. [5]

The first process to mold cubes without any cutting was invented in Boston by Charles H. Hersey ("Hersey drum", 1879); some of these units, modified in 1929 to produce fancy shaped pieces, are still in use today. [5]

Use

Doses of oral polio vaccine being added to sugar cubes for use in a 1967 vaccination campaign in Bonn, West Germany Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F025952-0015, Bonn, Gesundheitsamt, Schutzimpfung.jpg
Doses of oral polio vaccine being added to sugar cubes for use in a 1967 vaccination campaign in Bonn, West Germany

The cubes were and are mostly used to sweeten tea and coffee - the original Rad's pieces were even sold as "tea-sugar" [5] . However, the popularity of artificial sweeteners, together with the trend of switching from filtered coffee to cappuccino-like drinks, has turned sugar cubes into a niche product primarily used in bars or served at formal afternoon tea events. [5] [2]

The specialty uses of cubes include: [5]

Sugar cubes are often used to visually represent how much sugar is in a product, such as soft drinks, by building pyramids of sugar cubes and photographing in front of the product. Experiments showed this method was persuasive in convincing people to consume less sugar. [14]

Arts

A sugar-cube metaphor is popular in architecture. First proposed by Walter Gropius in 1922, it comes back "every five years" with a variety of ambiguous meanings, from strictly regimented design (cf. works of Theo van Doesburg [15] ) to "unity in variety" (cf. Mediterranean hill towns) [16] to whitewashed plain facades of the Cyclades. [17]

A monument with sugar cube on top stands in Czech town of Dačice, the place where the first sugar cube factory was established by Rad. [7]

Multiple art galleries display the works of an Irish sculptor Brendan Jamison, specializing on the architecture-themed pieces made of sugar cubes. [5]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sucrose</span> Disaccharide made of glucose and fructose

Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula C
12
H
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O
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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powdered sugar</span> Fine sugar with an anti-caking agent

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Tate</span> English sugar merchant and philanthropist (1819–1899)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugarloaf</span> Refined sugar molded into a conical shape for commercial distribution

A sugarloaf was the usual 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 in which dark molasses, a rich raw sugar that was imported from sugar-growing regions such as the Caribbean and Brazil, was refined into white sugar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tate & Lyle</span> British-based multinational agribusiness

Tate & Lyle PLC is a British-headquartered, global supplier of food and beverage products to food and industrial markets. It was originally a sugar refining business, but from the 1970s, it began to diversify, eventually divesting its sugar business in 2010. It specialises in turning raw materials such as corn and tapioca into ingredients that add taste, texture, and nutrients to food and beverages. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar refinery</span> Factory which processes raw sugar into white sugar

A sugar refinery is a refinery which processes raw sugar from cane or sugar extracted from beets into white refined sugar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tea set</span> Collection of teaware and utensils

A tea set or tea service is a collection of matching teaware and related utensils used in the preparation and serving of tea. The traditional components of a tea set may vary between societies and cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abram Lyle</span> Sugar refiner and politician

Abram Lyle was a Scottish food manufacturer and politician, who is noted for founding the sugar refiners Abram Lyle & Sons in 1887, which merged with the company of his rival Henry Tate to become Tate & Lyle in 1921.

Absinthiana is the paraphernalia surrounding the consumption of absinthe. Due to the bitter taste and high alcohol content of this drink, a need for dilution with water had led drinkers to a drinking ritual. Originally, absinthe was served in standard stemmed wine or water glasses and water was added from a simple carafe. But as its popularity grew so did the variety of implements used, such as specialty glasses and complex brouilleurs. Many 19th century companies used the elaborate barware to advertise their brands. Today, many contemporary distilleries are also producing decorative branded barware for the same purpose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Absinthe</span> Alcoholic drink

Absinthe is an anise-flavored spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium, together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. Historically described as a highly alcoholic spirit, it is 45–74% ABV or 90–148 proof in the US. Absinthe traditionally has a natural green color but may also be colorless. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as la fée verte'the green fairy'. While sometimes casually referred to as a liqueur, absinthe is not traditionally bottled with sugar or sweeteners. Absinthe is traditionally bottled at a high level of alcohol by volume, but it is normally diluted with water before being consumed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jakob Christof Rad</span> Austrian entrepreneur and inventor

Jakob Christof Rad was a Swiss-born Austrian physician and industrial manager. He had many other professional activities, was a director of a sugar factory in Dačice, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary in 1843, and invented the process and associated machinery for cutting large block sugar into manageable uniform pieces. Rad is credited with the invention of sugar cubes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar nips</span> Tool used to create individual servings of sugar

Sugar nips are a large pair of pincers with sharp blades, designed to cut sugar from a block. Before the introduction of granulated and cube sugars in the second half of the 19th century, the domestic consumer purchased sugar in the form of a sugarloaf, or at least a part of one, and pieces were cut from it by hand using sugar nips and other tools, such as sugar hammer. Greater leverage and improved safety was provided by heavier sugar nips set in a wooden base for counter- and table-top use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granulation</span> Forming grains or granules from a powdery or solid substance

Granulation is the process of forming grains or granules from a powdery or solid substance, producing a granular material. It is applied in several technological processes in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Typically, granulation involves agglomeration of fine particles into larger granules, typically of size range between 0.2 and 4.0 mm depending on their subsequent use. Less commonly, it involves shredding or grinding solid material into finer granules or pellets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death in the Afternoon (cocktail)</span> Cocktail made up of absinthe and Champagne

Death in the Afternoon, also called the Hemingway or the Hemingway Champagne, is a cocktail made up of absinthe and Champagne, invented by Ernest Hemingway. The cocktail shares a name with Hemingway's 1932 book Death in the Afternoon, and the recipe was published in So Red the Nose, or Breath in the Afternoon, a 1935 cocktail book with contributions from famous authors. Hemingway's original instructions were:

"Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly."

Sir Oliver Lyle, OBE (1891–1961) was a British sugar technologist during the early 20th century.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Asadi 2006, p. 455.
  2. 1 2 3 Kirschner 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Asadi 2006, p. 454.
  4. Pennington & Baker 1990, p. 182.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Grigorieva 2015.
  6. 1 2 Kennedy 2012.
  7. 1 2 Drahoňovská 2018.
  8. Chalmin 1990, p. 75.
  9. Chalmin 1990, p. 76.
  10. 1 2 Chalmin 1990, p. 77.
  11. Strang, Arnold & Peters 1999.
  12. Labrecque, Warr & Labrecque 2016, p. 328.
  13. Grigorieva 2015, p. 679.
  14. Adams, John Milton (December 2014). "Concrete images of the sugar content in sugar-sweetened beverages reduces attraction to and selection of these beverages". Appetite . 83: 10–18. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2014.07.027.
  15. Harbison 2003, p. 461.
  16. Jencks 2002, p. 26.
  17. Twardowski 2019, p. 65.

Sources