Forming, cooking, taking lime: testimonies on making lime mortar in Portugal

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to present and discuss the contexts of "speeches" of those who make traditional lime, highlighting the importance of those "speeches" as intangible heritage. For this purpose, studies were carried out with lime craftsmen in the scope of research projects developed in Beja (Alentejo / Portugal). Those studies explore some of the literature produced on this theme, privileging, however, the literature based on empirical studies carried out in Portugal, especially where the "voice" of the artisan of lime was significant for the understanding of traditional technical processes. This article considers that the oral testimony of the lime craftsmen can make an important contribution to expand the technical-scientific knowledge about the processes of production of this material.

Keywords:
Traditional knowledge; Lime; Craftsmen; Oral source; Intangible heritage