The Inventory Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in the Netherlands contains ICH of which the communities, groups or individuals involved have written a safeguarding plan. Those plans are reviewed by an independent review committee. Every three years an evaluation of the safeguarding takes place.

Description

The snuff miller produces snuff. In the Netherlands this is still done in two snuff mills, with a karotten-factory in Rotterdam (karot = roll of tobacco leaves). Snuff is very finely ground and dried tobacco, with added herbs. Snuff tobacco is not smoked, but sniffed. The snuff miller first strips the tobacco leaves, partly or completely removing the middle vein. Then the stripped leaves are sauced. The sauce is important for fermentation and is partly responsible for the scent of the snuff. There are many different sauces. Important ingredients of the sauces are: salt, potash, salmiac and sugar or syrup. Aromatic substances may be added too. The sauced leaves are wrapped and rolled in linen or cotton cloths, in portions of 3 to 4 lbs. These packages or poppen (dolls) are then tied with firmly tightened ropes. This is called karotten trekken (pulling karotten). Several weeks later the procedure of karotten trekken is repeated. After a number of weeks in store they reach the next phase: ficeleren. The cloth and the thick rope are replaced by thin ropes. The packages, the karotten, are now stored for a long time. After at least six months the karotten can be further processed in the pounding-tubs of the snuff mill. Mill De Ster as well as mill De Lelie in Rotterdam can be used for this purpose. The karotten are very finely chopped. The snuff is sieved and then ready to use. The use of snuff is very limited in the Netherlands. Snuff is popular on a small scale with Moroccan youngsters in the Netherlands.

 

Community

The Stichting de Kralingse Snuif en Specerijen Compagnie De Ster en De Lelie (Kralingen Snuff and Spices Company De Ster and De Lelie) not only takes care of the safeguarding of the traditional craft of making snuff tobacco, but also acquires knowledge on the history of the processing operations. The craft is practiced by six or seven volunteers. The Foundation also endeavours for the preservation of the buildings needed.

 

History

The tobacco plant originally comes from America. The first tobacco plants were exported to Portugal and Spain in 1518. Subsequently the use of snuff spread all over Europe. In the middle of the seventeenth century tobacco was used throughout Europe and it was often popular for medicinal reasons. In the eighteenth century the so-called karotten-factories, where snuff was made, were famous. In 1752 the first factory out of many where karotten were processed into snuff arose in Rotterdam. Because of the altered use of tobacco – people smoked more cigars and cigarettes – slowly but surely all these factories disappeared and only the little karotten-factory and the snuff and spice mills De Ster and De Lelie, nearby Lake Kralingen, are left. In 1983 the factory was provisionally restored, though in such a way that little of the original function is left to be seen. The municipality of Rotterdam is now the owner of the factory and the two mills. In 2004 a number of volunteer millers established the Kralingen Snuff and Spices Company De Ster and De Lelie, in consultation with the old miller. The main objective of the Foundation is to safeguard the artisanal processing of snuff tobacco and spices. With the help of some who act as sponsors, this target is now achieved.

 

Contact

Stichting De Kralingse Snuif en Specerijen Compagnie De Ster en De Lelie
Plaszoom 322
3062 CL
Rotterdam
Website