The history of cutlery in Caldas da Rainha and Alcobaça
The use and working of metal dates back to the earliest human settlements. Fire, in addition to providing warmth, light, cooking and protection, took on a new role: smelting. This technology enabled the creation of new artefacts, which in turn helped to drive the first agricultural revolution.
Archaeological excavations carried out at the Lombo do Ferreiro - Turquel site in Alcobaça during the 1980s revealed archaeological finds that confirm the existence of significant metallurgical activity dating back to the Iron Age, leaving a deep-rooted metallurgical heritage at this site that continues to this day.
Handcrafted cutlery has revived ancestral wisdom and has been winning over an audience that appreciates unique pieces – signature cutlery – where the cutler’s guiding principle is to create using the ancient art of mastering fire.
The forge, the hammer and the anvil take centre stage, and the cutler is the master. And from this art springs a whole glossary of cutting tools: chef’s knife, butcher’s knife, paring knife, goat-skin knife, bandit’s knife, sailor’s pocket knife, grafting knife, cricket-catcher’s knife, and the most Portuguese of them all, the caneças knife.
The art of knife-making based on traditional techniques is a craft that has been revived over time and is currently most actively practised in Santa Catarina in Caldas da Rainha, Benedita in Alcobaça, Verdugal in Guarda and Palaçoulo - Trás-os-Montes: each knife is a unique piece, crafted by those who have mastered the art of taming fire, and is referred to as ‘signature cutlery’. It is sought after by both renowned chefs and those looking for a quality knife. The traditional razor and pocket knife also remain versatile and iconic tools that fit in any pocket.
The origins of the cutlery industry in Caldas da Rainha and Alcobaça sparked a dispute between the parishes of Benedita and Santa Catarina that lasted for several decades.
From the legacy of the razor-makers’ workshops to the craftsmanship of the cutlery industries, which flourished sixty years ago, the Santa Catarina–Benedita cluster is now synonymous with success and modernity.
According to Fernando Maurício – a scholar of Benedita – there are links between the parish of Nossa Senhora da Encarnação – now Benedita – and the emergence of the region’s first cutlery workshop.
Research dating back to the 18th century highlights two central figures in the history of this industry: the brothers Joaquim and António Polycarpo.
Joaquim Polycarpo, born in 1796, was a master craftsman responsible for supervising several artisans, both in Benedita and in Santa Catarina. Joaquim Policarpo (spelled Polycarpo at the time) is thought to have left for Lisbon whilst still a teenager, where, alongside his brother, António Policarpo, he is believed to have received training in the art of cutlery-making.
At the time, cutlery-making was a relatively new craft in Portugal: it was only after the 1755 earthquake that the Marquis of Pombal brought in master craftsmen from abroad to help rebuild the country’s trade. One of them, a Frenchman named Charnière, settled in Lisbon on Rua Formosa, where he trained many young people from all over the country.
The fates of the two brothers were, however, to be quite different: Joaquim was to return to his native region to settle there; it was in Mata de Baixo, in what is now the municipality of Rio Maior, that the master is said to have trained many of the future craftsmen who went on to spread throughout the region.
Joaquim’s elder brother, António Policarpo, was to follow a different path, spending much of his life in Lisbon, where he settled. In 1824, he left active military service, devoting himself “exclusively to the establishment of his business, which he began in November 1825”, according to Pereira de Sousa in a biographical note from 1856.
This was the date on which a cutlery firm was founded, which still exists today in Lisbon under the name of its founder: Casa Policarpo. His work was recognised both nationally and internationally.
It was Casa Policarpo that supplied the kingdom’s medical school, as well as ‘all civil and military hospitals’, and the Lisbon School of Medicine and Surgery.
The excellence of its products for the fields of veterinary medicine, surgery and horticulture earned it a first-class medal at the 1849 national exhibition and a second-class medal with honourable mention at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London.
In addition to these awards, the reputation of António Policarpo and his firm attracted leading figures from the cultural scene to his establishment.
In António Maria, Bordallo Pinheiro wrote: “Cutelaria Polycarpo is a little marvel, a model workshop, thanks to the innovation, care and originality of its manufacturing processes, and the artistic training of its staff”.
Contemporary knife makers
The region’s heritage in this craft is evident both in artisanal and designer cutlery and in the cutlery industry, with the cutlery industry hub in the parishes of Santa Catarina and Benedita being one of the world’s leading clusters for this craft.
In the field of handcrafted and designer cutlery, workshops such as Lombo do Ferreiro and Paulo Tuna, The Bladesmith, have made a name for themselves in the sector, with their knives being the choice of top chefs and restaurants across Europe.
It is sought after by both renowned chefs and those looking for a quality knife.
The traditional straight razor and pocket knife also remain versatile and iconic tools that fit in any pocket.
The art of knife-making based on ancestral techniques is a craft that has been revived over time and is currently centred in Santa Catarina in Caldas da Rainha, Benedita in Alcobaça, Verdugal in Guarda and Palaçoulo - Trás-os-Montes: each knife is a unique piece, crafted by those who have mastered the art of taming fire, and is referred to as ‘signature cutlery’.
Santa Catarina and Benedita cluster
The origins of the cutlery industry in Caldas da Rainha and Alcobaça sparked a dispute between the parishes of Benedita and Santa Catarina that lasted for several decades.
From the legacy of the cutlers’ workshops to the craftsmanship of the cutlery industries, which flourished sixty years ago, the Santa Catarina–Benedita cluster is now synonymous with success and modernity.
The launch of the “Cutelarias de Santa Catarina e Benedita” brand in 2018 was a significant milestone: the merger of eight companies in the sector highlights their commitment to establishing the region as the leading cutlery cluster in Portugal and one of the five largest in Europe.
With 600 active jobs, the cutlery cluster based in Caldas da Rainha and Alcobaça is the “fifth largest in the sector at European level” and represents a turnover of “35 million euros annually, of which 30 million comes from exports”.
IVO Cutelarias, Nicul, Curel Cutelarias, Socutel, Lombo do Ferreiro, Ciol, JERO and ICEL are among the most prestigious cutlery brands.
