History of Snus

The Origins of Snus

The history of snus forms part of the wider history of tobacco in Europe.

Tobacco was introduced into Europe following European contact with the Americas at the end of the fifteenth century. During the sixteenth century, tobacco was used in several forms, including finely ground nasal snuff.

Jean Nicot, the French diplomat whose name later became associated with tobacco and nicotine, helped introduce tobacco at the French court during the sixteenth century.

The botanical name Nicotiana was later used for the tobacco genus. The Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, Carl von Linné, incorporated the name into his system of botanical classification.

Tobacco subsequently spread throughout Europe and was consumed in several different forms, including smoking tobacco, chewing tobacco and nasal snuff.

Tobacco Comes to Sweden

The earliest known Swedish customs records mentioning tobacco date from the beginning of the seventeenth century.

As tobacco consumption increased, it became subject to taxation and government regulation.

In 1641, the Swedish government granted Söderländska Kompaniet privileges relating to the importation of tobacco. Tobacco subsequently became an established commodity in Swedish trade.

Domestic tobacco cultivation also developed. By the eighteenth century tobacco was being cultivated commercially in a number of Swedish towns and cities.

The Development of Swedish Snus

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, a moist form of oral tobacco developed in Sweden and gradually became known as Swedish snus.

Production initially took place both in households and on a small commercial scale.

With industrialisation during the nineteenth century, larger tobacco manufacturers developed. Many tobacco factories were situated in Swedish commercial and port cities, including Stockholm and Gothenburg.

Commercial production gradually replaced much of the earlier household production.

In 1915, Sweden introduced a state tobacco monopoly. Among the purposes of the monopoly were raising government revenue and contributing to public finances.

The monopoly system was subsequently dismantled during the twentieth century.

Snus Boxes and Everyday Life

Historically, snus was usually sold loose rather than in portion pouches.

Consumers often bought loose snus by weight and transferred it to their own reusable snus boxes.

These boxes were made from a wide variety of materials. Simple examples were made of wood or other inexpensive materials, while more elaborate boxes could be manufactured from pewter, silver or other metals.

Surviving snus boxes therefore form part of the material history of everyday life and craftsmanship in Sweden.

The Introduction of Portion Snus

For most of its history, Swedish snus was used in loose form.

Portion-packed snus is a comparatively modern development. Commercial portion snus was introduced during the 1970s.

Instead of loose tobacco, the snus is enclosed in a small porous pouch.

Both loose snus and portion snus continue to represent different stages in the development of Swedish snus.

Snus in Modern Sweden

Snus remains part of the history of tobacco use in Sweden.

Modern manufacturing differs considerably from early household and nineteenth-century factory production and generally involves controlled grinding, mixing, heat treatment and packaging.

Modern Swedish-style snus exists in both loose and portion-packed forms.

Snus is a tobacco product and contains nicotine, which is addictive.