The Brière knife, which did not exist...
He is Brieron, and he knows his Brier well! He has only been living there for about fifteen years, but he has found old roots.
He sought to obtain a knife from the region, as he does in almost every region, with local materials and know-how. But he didn't find any!
So he decided to do it himself!
The « morta »
The Brière marsh, say, some time ago, was an oak forest. And as the marsh was said to have been created following a violent tidal wave, the oaks died one after the other, and fell into the mud that swallowed them. However, strangely enough, a wood that remains in the water, deprived of oxygen, does not rot.
After, let's say... for a while, it becomes mineralized, passing from the status of wood to the status of stone, but keeping its colors, its marbling, its veins, its grain... in the region, we call the result the morta, buried for about 5000 years.
With a 5000 year old handle, the Brière knife is guaranteed for life!
From there, it's not very difficult! Well, a little bit anyway.....
Jean-Henri Pagnon goes snooping in the marsh, and probes for resistance indicating the presence of the famous morta.
When he has found it, he brings the precious material back to his workshop, and, with time and know-how, he will form the handles of the approximately 500 knives he manufactures each year.
And, since the handle is 5000 years old, it guarantees it for life, which, on second thought, is still very short!
JHP Morta Knives Workshop
87 rue de la Brière
44117 Saint André des Eaux
Phone : 02 40 66 53 69
atelier-jhp@couteaux-morta.com
