Division The 17th, 18th and 19th centuries

Historically, ‘suikerstroop’ is a by-product of sugar refining. De Suikerraffinadeur [The Sugar Refiner] by J.H. Reisig, dating from 1783, describes how syrup was caught in drip pots during the production of sugar loaves. During the crystallisation process, the (viscous) purified sugar massecuite was poured into the sugar loaf moulds. The moulds then stood on drip pots for a couple of days. The syrup that collected was called ‘uncovered’ syrup. The loaves were then covered with wet pipe clay (which promoted the crystallisation process and prevented dissolving) and placed back on the pots. Water was slowly poured over the top and slowly trickled through the loaf. The syrup thus produced was known as ‘covered’ syrup. The covering (dried clay) was then removed, and the sugar loaves were left to stand for a few days, after which they were covered with a layer of thinner pipe clay and placed back on the syrup pots before having water poured over them. The syrup thus obtained was known as naloop syrup (final run-off syrup, which is the purest).