CARIBARENA Antigua & Barbuda

We use charcoal to cook many succulent foods, and old people say although the electric or gas stoves are theirs for the using, they still prefer to use the coal pot, since it makes whatever they are cooking taste "sweeter".

The history behind the making of charcoal is just phenomenon. The green lush vegetation of acacia, what we locally call "cassie bush," is harvested from large plots of open land, shaved from its branches, cut, and neatly packed into a pile ready to make charcoal.

Research has shown that this plant that overruns old cultivations and grazing land was introduced to Antigua as a fuel for the sugar industry in the 18th century. It is a fast-growing hardwood with a high caloric value. In spite of its uncomfortable prickles, it has had many uses: perfume, ink, dye, glue, tanning, tool handles, and charcoal.

One charcoal operator/vendor who plies his trade near the West Bus Station, Tennecie Cornelius, said “making charcoal is no easy task. Sometimes is up to three coal kilns I burn a week and so. It’s not easy.”

Looking at the containers of coal that he sets out for purchase, he said, “This is my livelihood so I hope sale is good. One bucket of coal is $18, and sometimes people complain, but the work is worth the money.”

Coal kilns have been around longer than many of us. I spoke to the Georges, who said, “That was how most people made their living back in the thirties, and in those days coal cost shilling and pence. Now most of us don’t know what that is, but those currencies used to exist way back then."

Mrs George said, “I use to help my mother operate coal kilns for years. To make the coal kiln, she dug a trench, not too deep, about 6-8 inches, then they cut up the cassie wood to about 6 feet long and lay them horizontally in the shallow trench. Then you cover the wood with earth, making sure none of the cassie wood is exposed.

The coal kiln must have an air vent, so a hole is made at one end. Trash and other dry materials are stuffed in that hole and doused with oil, from which the coal kiln is lit. After it catches the wood, you should see smoke, not a blaze. If there is a blaze, all the wood would burn out and you might have to start all over again.”

Her husband Theodore said, “It’s a slow burning process. It’s a hard job, depending on the size of the kiln it could take up to a week to burn into charcoal." He said the best types of wood are log wood, mahogany, and the famous cassie. The size of the coal depends on the size of the wood. When the wood is small, you’ll get small coals which that can break up and burn quickly. But with the thick solid wood you get solid coals.

His wife said, “After the coal kiln is done smoking completely, you take a hoe/shovel and remove the earth and open the coal kiln. If you see any fire, you have to out it properly. I know a friend who bagged out his coal shortly after he opened his coal kiln, and one little piece of coal was still burning, and that stayed there and burned the whole bag to ashes out in the yard. So you have to make sure the coal kiln is properly out, and the coals are left to cool.

When you are drawing the coals they must be cold, it’s not good to pack them in bags and containers shortly after you open the kiln.”

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George said “Everything we used to do back then is coals. There was no stoves, so we have no choice. The first type of stoves that were introduced to us was the oil stove, and only certain people could get those. So the good old coal was many of us best friend. Most open land back then had a coal kiln on it, a short distance away from the cane fields, which were aplenty.”

So the next time you eat a good meal cooked by charcoal, remember that it’s no easy task, and the few who do it deserve kudos for a product that will be in demand for years to come.

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