LABORATORY SCIENCE AND THE CRAFT OF BREADMAKING: THE BAKERY SECTOR IN PARIS (CA. 1900) EMBRACES PROGRESS

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between science and craft in the bakery industry in Paris at the turn of the twentieth century. The development of scientific practices allowed private chemists to protect bakers from fraudulent practices and to defend the white bread trade. At the same time, science changed many other practices and apprenticeships in the trade. The bakery industry ended up accepting the benefits of mechanical kneading machines and professional training courses despite the fact that these changes led to a certain loss of autonomy.