Large Cone Instead of Small Cube – a Museal Sugarloaf

Upon close inspection of a sugar cube, one notices: the sides of such a piece of sugar usually form rectangles, not squares. Thus, they should rather be termed sugar cuboids than sugar cubes. In any case, these pieces of sugar usually weigh four grams in Switzerland.

A variety of the form in which sugar is produced, which is less well-known today, is the sugarloaf. These are significantly larger and heavier – and are shaped like cones or high top hats. Until well into the 20th century, refined sugar was sold in this traditional form. What exactly such a sugarloaf looks like can be seen in the Museum La Truaisch in Sedrun. The museum is home to an old sugarloaf produced by the Béghin company in Thumeries, in the far north of France.

And how was the sugar pressed into a cone shape? Quite simply, by heating sugar granules and pouring the liquid mass into a mould, where it crystallised and separated from the rounded mould. Subsequently, all one had to do was to take the cone, i.e., loaf, out of the mould, package it, and send it to the recipient – located, for instance, in Graubünden. Indeed, it fit well into this mountainous terrain: a sugar loaf is almost as hard as granite, and its shape is also reminiscent of a mountain peak.