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Viticulture

The almud (also known as pitcher) is a capacity measurement unit for liquids, especially for wine. It derives from the Arabic al-mudd and appears in Portuguese documentation since the first half of the 11th century.

In modern times, this measure varies between 16.5 and 40 litres, depending on the country’s regions. In addition, there may be different almud for different liquids, namely wine, olive oil, brandy or honey.

In the case of these pieces from the museum's collection, they are wooden containers carved in tree trunks, with a truncate-conical body and one or two vertical wings, the bottom of which is nailed to the main body and, generally, reinforced with an iron hoop.

These containers were used to measure the wine must in the wine-presses, after the grape-treading.

Credits: Madeira Ethnographic Museum