Bread quality and consumer trust in eighteenth century urban Malta

Abstract

Put a baker on the scale after he dies, runs the French adage, and he will be found short of weight. The sale of bread made out of ill-confection, poor baking qualities and short of its expected regulatory weight, emerge as a common offense committed by bakers in the early modern period. In Malta, these infractions gained unprecedented proportions during the second half of the eighteenth century, following the remarkable increase in licensed bakers involved in professional bread baking. This paper aims to reveal some of the challenges faced by the authorities in ensuring good quality bread. As urban bread eaters started to gradually abandon the buying of grain, the milling and kneading of bread dough for a manufactured product ready for consumption, the authorities closely watched the baker to avoid the possibility of any social unrest. An attempt will be made to look at the methods employed by the government of the Knights of St John to safeguard basic consumer interest. As more urban dwellers readily consumed ready-made bread prepared entirely by professional bakers, policing measures were adopted to ensure both the trust of the bread eaters in their government as well as the professional bakers.