Laguiole knife
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The Laguiole knife (, locally ) is a traditional
Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; o ...
pocketknife A pocketknife is a knife with one or more blades that fold into the handle. They are also known as jackknives (jack-knife), folding knives, or may be referred to as a penknife, though a penknife may also be a specific kind of pocketknife. A ty ...
, originally produced in the "knife city" of Thiers, source of 70% of France's cutting tool production, as well as the small village of
Laguiole Laguiole (; ''La Guiòla'' in Languedocien) is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. It is known for its Laguiole cheese, which has an ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (label of guaranteed origin), and as the birthpl ...
, both located in the
Massif central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,00 ...
region of France. Laguiole in this instance does not refer to the French knife brand but to a generic type of traditional
slipjoint A slipjoint knife is one of the most ubiquitous types of pocketknives. A slipjoint knife consists of a handle with one or more folding blades. These blades are held in position by a strong "backspring" which biases them towards the open and close ...
knife associated with this region of France.


History

The major influence on the form of the classic ''laguiole'' is most likely the Arabo-Hispanic clasp knife of Andalusian Spain, the ''
navaja The ''navaja'' is a traditional Spanish folding-blade fighting and utility knife.de Rementeria y Fica, Mariano, ''Manual of the Baratero'' (transl. and annot. by James Loriega), Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, (2005) One of the oldest folding k ...
''.Lecoutre, Fabien, Rubat, Baptiste, Engelen, Barth, and Engelen, Cécile, ''Le Petit Futé La France à moto!'', Paris, FR: Les Nouvelles Editions l'Université (2008), p. 540 The ''laguiole'' was first designed in 1829 by Jean-Pierre Calmels. The earliest forms of ''laguiole'' knife were straight-bladed and handled, the so-called ''laguiole droit''; the classic ''navaja''-like ''laguiole'' seems to have been developed around 1860. The Calmels ''laguiole droit'' had a 'half-lock' on the blade where a small projection on the end of the backspring (''mouche'') exerts pressure on a corresponding indent in the heel of blade when the knife is open; this, and not the full locking system of the ''navaja'', remained a fixed feature in subsequent ''laguiole'' knives. Seasonal migrations of shepherds and cattle herders between
Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
Spain and southern France in summer and winter introduced the ''navaja'' to France. The Arabo-Hispanic design of the ''navaja'' was merged with that of local folding knives represented by older patterns such as the ''laguiole droit'' and ''Capuchadou''; the result became the classic ''laguiole''. In 1840, the first awl or
trocar A trocar (or trochar) is a medical or veterinary device that is made up of an awl (which may be a metal or plastic sharpened or non-bladed tip), a cannula (essentially a hollow tube), and a seal. Trocars are placed through the abdomen during lap ...
(a surgical instrument used to puncture body cavities and relieve the suffering of cattle and other animals with bloat) was added to the some ''laguiole'' knife patterns. In 1880, some models of the ''laguiole'' began featuring a corkscrew, in response to demands from the owners of bars in the Auvergne, and restaurants in Paris.


Design

Classic ''laguiole'' knives feature a slim, sinuous outline. They are about 12 cm long when closed, with a narrow, tapered blade of a semi-
yataghan The yatagan, yataghan or ataghan (from Turkish ''yatağan''), also called varsak, is a type of Ottoman knife or short sabre used from the mid-16th to late 19th centuries. The yatagan was extensively used in Ottoman Turkey and in areas under i ...
form, steel backspring (
slipjoint A slipjoint knife is one of the most ubiquitous types of pocketknives. A slipjoint knife consists of a handle with one or more folding blades. These blades are held in position by a strong "backspring" which biases them towards the open and close ...
) and a high quality of construction. Traditionally, the handle was made of cattle horn; however, nowadays other materials are sometimes used. These materials include French woods, exotic woods from all around the world, and fossilised
mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, ...
ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is ...
from
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
or
Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
. The French designer
Philippe Starck Philippe Starck (; born 18 January 1949) is a French industrial architect and designer known for his wide range of designs, including interior design, architecture, household objects, furniture, boats and other vehicles. Life Starck was born on ...
re-designed ''laguiole'' knives using
aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
for the grips, but it was only a revival of a 1910 model. The blade is often made of
Stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...
or
High-carbon steel Carbon steel is a steel with carbon content from about 0.05 up to 2.1 percent by weight. The definition of carbon steel from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) states: * no minimum content is specified or required for chromium, coba ...
, with XC75 steels being 0.75% carbon and XC100 being 1% carbon. The traditional ''laguiole'' utilizes a single blade, but sometimes a corkscrew or some other implement is added. This necessitates an even slimmer cutaway handle, the shape of which is fancifully known as the "lady's leg", the bolster at the base resembling a foot. A 'Shepherd's Cross' consisting of 6-8 inlaid metal pins forming a cross can be found on the handle of some ''laguioles''. It is a myth that this embellishment is a reference to a legend of Catholic shepherds in need of a cross for prayer during their seasonal migrations between the mountains and the plains. The cross can be found in the knives not earlier than the 1950s and is a mere decoration.Christian Lemasson, ''Histoire du couteau de Laguiole.'' Monts Auvergne, 2012, p. 53 There is much mythology about the insect depicted on the spring. A legend identifies the design as a bee granted by Emperor
Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
(the bee was adopted as a dynastic symbol by Napoleon) in recognition of the courage of local soldiers. However, the "bee" on the ''laguiole'' knives was only introduced after World War II, more than a century after the death of the emperor. Technically, "la mouche" (the fly) is the end of the backspring, which sits over the rotating part of the blade. The upper section was expanded to form a thumb rest. Older ''laguiole'' knives feature many kinds of decorated springs which don't necessarily feature insects. There are about 109 production steps for a one-piece ''laguiole'' (single blade), about 166 for a two-piece one (blade and one other tool), and about 216 for a three-piece model (blade and two tools - corkscrew and awl). The name ''Laguiole'' has since been used as a trademark designation for various other implements, so that one can now buy, for example, a "Laguiole" corkscrew, spoon, or steak-knife set.


French and Overseas Production

As ''laguiole'' designates a type of knife and is not a brand or trade name of cutlery, ''laguiole'' knives are manufactured globally. This has led to the widespread availability of inexpensive, and sometimes low-quality, "laguiole" knives from China and elsewhere. ''Laguiole'' knives from France are currently produced in the cutlery town of Thiers, and more recently, production resumed in the village of Laguiole, the knife's namesake. French manufacturers stamp a trademark or signature into the steel of their knives. A description of the type of steel used and "Made in France", will often be stamped as well.


See also

*
Opinel knife The Opinel company has manufactured and marketed a line of eponymous wooden-handled knives since 1890 from its headquarters in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Savoie, France where the family-run company also operates a museum dedicated to its knives. ...
* Douk-Douk


References


External links


History of the Laguiole knife





Manufacturing a Laguiole knife

Forge de Laguiole - Forge de Laguiole - Manufacturer in the village of Laguiole

Laguiole Honore Durand - Honore Durand - Manufacturer in the village of Laguiole

Laguiole French Knives - Manufacturer of Laguiole
{{Authority control Pocket knives Kitchen knife brands