Magyari Márta szerk.: A Debreceni Déri Múzeum Évkönyve 2010 (2011)
TÖRTÉNETTUDOMÁNY - Takács Péter: Őrlő (lisztelő) szerkezetek Bihar megyében a 18. század utolsó harmadában
ŐRLŐ (LISZTELŐ) SZERKEZETEK BIHAR MEGYÉBEN A18. SZÁZAD UTOLSÓ HARMADÁBAN 101 Péter Takács Different types of grinding equipment in Bihar county in the last third of the 18 t h century (An attempt to explore the means of satisfying a vital human need between chronological and regional boundaries) The study examines what eguipment was used for grinding grains by the residents of 18th century Bihar, the largest county of historical Hungary at the time. The lack or the presence of a mill was one of the most important factors in determining the standard of a farmer's life. Ever since the cultivation of plants began mills have become one of the key preconditions of human existence. They have been serving the bread and pasta consuming people. The history of the mills can be approached from different angles: their technological development, the natural energy they use to operate or their utilisation. One can point out the variations in their building orthe diversity in their use. Many of them had grinders, oil pressers and seed peelers. The study's primary aim is to examine to what extent and by the use of what energy were mills able to satisfy the vital need for bread, pasta and grain-based products for the residents of Bihar county, in this very specific region within the Carpathian-basin. According to the author mills are more than technological innovations. For food producing people living in places above a certain population density, they become irreplaceable and indispensable instruments. Consequently, it is no coincidence that in the Middle Ages monks were the most zealous in spreading the knowledge on the contemporary developments in mill building. Bread - through its transcendental mythological role - became an organic part in the symbolism of Christianity, the foundation of European civilisation. Mills also provided the site for social interactions, and numerous legends and myths surrounded their activity. Determined by the geographical possibilities and constraints, the people of 18th century Bihar county organised their daily lives so that the indispensable grain that they acquired through growing or purchasing could be grinded and made into flour. They attempted to gain the energy required for grinding from flowing water. Where that was not possible, they built dry-mills. The paper analyses 18th-century written sources to demonstrate the different types and utilisations of mills. The appendix provides a detailed overview of the mills in the county's settlements in a chart format.
