The Wooden Barrel in Global Trade

Wooden barrels have facilitated the past 2000 years of commerce. During the height of their demand from the 1400s to the late 1900s, wine, whiskey, and beer led to a long list of commodities that were made, aged, transported, and stored in barrels. Once barrels were introduced, other food and liquid producers quickly saw the advantages of the barrels. Their use for salted fish and meats, shellfish, grains and flours, sauerkrauts, and fermented fruits became apparent. The manufacturers of cement, gunpowder and shot, naval stores, coins, soaps, and butter employed them. They became the essential container for whale oil and initially, crude oil. Beyond its efficacy as a storage container, winemakers even found that complex biochemical reactions imbued subtle flavor during the fermentation process. As the Europeans ventured forth to explore the world, the ship chandlers who provided the supplies, found the barrel an exceptional container to store the many items needed for the increasingly longer journeys.

Through many examples, narratives, and case studies, this book provides insight into the complex history of barrels, how and why they were used and for which commodities and industries. Investigating through this lens illustrates how barrels enabled the expansion of global trade, weaning those living around the Mediterranean of their amphorae, and eventually leading to today's metal shipping containers.