Møllefriheden – om danske kornmøllers tilpasningsstrategier under liberaliseringen i 1800-tallet

Resumé

Artiklen redegør for hvordan dansk kornmølleri, med særlig fokus på brødkornet, reagerede og tilpassede sig en omfattende liberalisering i 1800-tallet. Behandlingen af kornet, herunder rensning, sortering og formaling, har stor betydning for human ernæring, idet fremstillingen af rene, sunde og velsmagende fødevarer ofte afhænger af den behandling, råvarerne får i møllerne. Formalingen har stor betydning for den videre forarbejdning ved forskellige processer, som er udviklet og forfinet igennem generationer, for at levere fødevarer til en sund og duelige befolkning. Det daglige brød, giver væsentlige sanseoplevelser, hvor smag, duft og det visuelle forenes og skaber daglige mad- og måltidsoplevelser hos konsumenterne (stort set alle borgere). I denne artikel undersøges det, hvordan dansk kornmølleri blev forandret under påvirkning af ny viden og liberalisering i løbet af 1800-tallet. Der var tale om meget store forandringer som samvirkede og gav fremskridt, men som også mødte modstand. Udviklingen var påvirket af internationale strømninger, handelsmuligheder, ny viden og teknologi, men også af kulturelle, økonomiske og politiske interesser – og af smag. Liberaliseringen medvirkede til en udvidelse af produktionen, der bl.a. ved anlæg af dampmøller kunne klare den stigende efterspørgsel på hvedemel både indenlands og til eksport.

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Free milling industry – about Danish grain mills' strategies during liberalization in the 19th century

The article explains how the Danish grain mill, with a special focus on the bread grain, reacted and adapted to a comprehensive liberalization in the 1800s. The processing of the grain, including cleaning, sorting and grinding, is of great importance for human nutrition, as the preparation of clean, healthy and tasty foods often depends on the treatment the raw materials receive in the mills. The grinding is of great importance for the further processing by various processes, which have been developed and refined over generations, in order to deliver food to a healthy and capable population. The daily bread provides essential sensory experiences where taste, smell and the visual unite and create daily food and meal experiences for consumers (virtually all citizens). This article examines how Danish grain milling was changed under the influence of new knowledge and liberalization during the 1800s. These were very big changes that interacted and made progress but also met with resistance. The development was influenced by international currents, trade opportunities, new knowledge and technology, but also by cultural, economic and political interests, and by taste. The liberalization brought about several changes and contributed to an expansion of production, which made it possible to satisfy a growing population's increasing demand for grinding, but at the same time also gave the opportunity to build steam mills that supplied wheat flour both for export and for an increasing Danish demand for wheat flour.