Barilla
Barilla refers to several species of salt-tolerant (
A very early reference indicating the value placed upon soda ash in
The word "barilla" was also used directly to refer to soda ash from any plant source, including not only the saltworts grown in Spain, but also glassworts, mangroves, and seaweed.[6] These types of plant-derived soda ash are impure alkali substances that contain widely varying amounts of sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), some additional potassium carbonate (also an alkali), and a predominance of non-alkali impurities.[7] The sodium carbonate, which is water-soluble, is "lixiviated" (extracted with water) from the ashes of the burned, dried plants. The resulting solution is boiled dry to obtain the finished barilla. A very similar process is used to obtain potash (mainly potassium carbonate) from the ashes of hardwood trees. The best Spanish barilla—prepared by master barrilleros—contained about 30% Na2CO3. In 1877 Kingzett described the importance of the barilla trade to Spain as follows: "So highly was the product valued, and the importance of the trade regarded, that by the laws of Spain the exportation of the seed was an offence punishable by death."[8]
Some authors indicate that "barilla" was a specific plant used for soda ash production; this usage is erroneous, but presumably corresponds to the common usage of "barilla plant" exclusively for Salsola soda. Perhaps this common usage itself reflects an old error in assuming that a single plant species was used by the Spaniards for their industry. In still earlier times, the sources of soda ash and the methods of processing it were secrets that were zealously guarded.[citation needed]
See also
- Salsola soda
- Salsola kali
- Halogeton sativus
- Glasswort
- Soda ash
- Seidlitzia rosmarinus
References
- ^ Definitions of "barilla" in The Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1989). Definitions retrieved from the online edition on December 3, 2006.
- ^ Glick, Thomas F. (1979). Islamic and Christian Spain in the Early Middle Ages: Comparative Perspectives on Social and Cultural Formation (Princeton University Press, Princeton), ch. 7. Archived at WebCite from this original URL on 2008-03-01.
- ^ "Barilla Archived December 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine," definition in The American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition, (2000). Definition retrieved from the online edition on November 16, 2006.
- ^ a b
Pérez, Joaquín Fernández (1998). "From the barrilla to the Solvay factory in Torrelavega: The Manufacture of Saltwort in Spain," Antilia: The Spanish Journal of History of Natural Sciences and Technology, Vol. IV, Art. 1. ISSN 1136-2049. Archived at WebCite from this original URLon 2008-03-01.
- Alicant barilla is obtained from Salsola sativa, Chenopodium setigerum, and other species," and "Of the French barillas, two only deserve notice; namely, that of Narbonne, obtained from Salicornia herbacea, and which yields 14-15%, ..." Online version at books.google.com.
- ^ Bird, Juliet F. (1978). "The Nineteenth-Century Soap Industry and its Exploitation of Intertidal Vegetation in Eastern Australia ," The Australian Geographer, Vol. 14, pp. 38–41.
- ^
Clow, Archibald and Clow, Nan L. (1952). Chemical Revolution, (Ayer Co Pub, June 1952), pp. 65–90. ISBN 0-8369-1909-2.
- ^ Kingzett, Charles Thomas (1877). The History, Products, and Processes of the Alkali Trade, Including the Most Recent Improvements (Longmans, Green, & Co., London), p. 69. Online version retrieved July 22, 2007.
External links
- Photograph of Halogeton sativus in bloom, from Flores de Almeria website. Retrieved December 3, 2006.
- Caja, Lidia Sala (2003). Causas lingüísticas en el auge del término sosa y el declive de barrilla en los siglos XVIII y XIX, retrieved December 3, 2006. Discussion of changes in the meaning of the Spanish words barrilla and sosa during the 18th and 19th centuries.