Capafonts retrieves a medieval bread oven

Capafonts. Costa Dorada. A quarter century ago Antonia Besora left the bakery where she worked for Capafonts. It was an old oven, a building located in the thirteenth century, which maintained the structure and many of the tools typical of medieval kilns since missing almost the entire country. Antonia thought she would never return there ... Well: next 28th November at 11am, Antonia will be responsible for opening the restoration of herformer bakery, now a small museum by the City Council Capafonts. A work that wants to recover some of the historical memory, not only of people but of all the Prades mountains. One way of doing and buying and selling bread that have been forgotten almost everywhere. The first remains of activity are found in the village baker must Macia, a listed building that dates from century XIII (or above), where he lived the County tax collector Meadows. But besides the oven Ca'l Macia, people have also detected other ovens to bake bread, including that which has now reblititat: the communal village oven, also the thirteenth century. Here, farmers bring their sacks of flour to make bread, the staple food of the population at that time. Cards system At that time, bread was sold in just weight, not like now. A kilo of bread, weighing one kilogram, and if, after weighing not reached the amount required, the oven add the "back": a slice of bread or another tongue weight applied to build the . As explained by historian Diego Lopez in the forthcoming book on the history of Capafonts, it was customary that those collin wheat, and went to grind wearing 100 pounds of flour bags: one bag gave them a card, a type of design uses a very simple, with twelve squares each of which was worth ten pounds. The card therefore amounted to one hundred twenty pounds of bread, twelve AT and charged separately a fixed amount for the work. As the retired were usually five on five kilos of the holes in the bread box in the card bearing the applicant, ie a hole equivalent to half at sign. If the amount was different, pointed to the box number. It was a simple and effective. When the harvest ended in a house and therefore s'exhaurien reserves flour, and there was no way to get it, the bakers were still providing cards "in trust", ie, on credit, until venda allowed to harvest any liquidate the debt. We can say that any house Capafonts there never lacked bread that went wrong for the family economy. The cultivation of wheat began to be abandoned and left to sow. And yet, for a long time still used the system cards. Although slowly, he was also losing this habit, while s'habituava people to buy bread more often and in smaller amounts. Finally, when the furnace was closed because it did not exist years ago cards: Most people went to buy bread baked for the day. At the bakery, they retain tools (shovels, boxes of fermentation, and instruments to counter ,...) cakes and pastry products, already used all of them, around 1600. Also, you can see machinery introduced later as a gasoline engine from 1926 that use the midwife and that still works. The bakery will integrate rehabilitated, from next Easter, on a guided tour through the old town of Capafonts. The old bakery is located just Capafonts from the edge of the City of Capafonts. The inaugural event will begin at 11 am and, once completed, Mayor Capafonts, Mark Anton, and invite all the people attending a taste of good bread served with virgin olive oil, and a snack.  

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