soap-making

The making of washing soap domestically or by small-traders' methods. To make soap people used to collect greasy waste material as well as pig, cow and mutton suet throughout the year. Soap making usually took place in the weeks prior to Easter. In the Lowlands of Hungary (The Alföld) people used to sweep up the sodium carbonate (soda) from the bottom of dried-out lakes and by mixing it with the right quantity of ash and lime they made lye. The lye was boiled in a cauldron and the soap ingredients were added to it. This was first heated over a big flame than slowly boiled until the precipitated soap came up to the surface of the lye. For white soap this substance was cooked in lye three or four times. The liquid soap was poured into wooden compartments that were covered with a cloth and dried in the garret. After it was set, the soap was cut up into bars and re-dried again in the garret.

TI