Different countries have adopted different measures of volume and weight, and often they look rather unusual for a Russian person, because we do not encounter them daily. One such unit of weight is the bushel. Where it is used and how much it is - a bushel - in terms of the usual system of measures, you can find out from this article.
Origin of the word
There are two main versions of the etymology of the word "bushel". According to one of them, it comes from the old French words meaning "little box" in translation. According to another version, this is also an old French word, but it means another name for another measure of volume - bot. This unit meant about as much: "as much as you can keep in one handful." Accordingly, this measure was significantly smaller than the modern bushel.
What is a bushel?
Despite the French origin of the name, now the bushel is a measure of the volume of bulk solids used in the British and American systems of measurement.
However, in its original meaning, the bushel as a measure of weight is used only in the West. So how much is it? A bushel in the US is 35.2liters, this is slightly less than the English bushel, which is included in a complex system of measures. In the UK, one bushel is equal to four pecks, eight gallons, thirty-two dry quarts, sixty-four pints, and three buckets (this is already a much more common measure of weight). Ultimately, an English bushel is 36.3 liters. However, it began to be used only from 1826, and before that in England they used the so-called Winchester bushel - the same one that is now used in the American system of measures.
The earliest standard measures of weight and volume date back to the reign of Richard I in England, that is, to the 12th century. Probably, the very first vessels were made of wood, therefore, alas, they have not survived to our time. Therefore, the earliest of all surviving standard bushels is made of bronze and dates back to 1497, and the other was made later by order of Elizabeth I. case bronze. Traditionally, wheat was used to determine the various units of measurement: a few grains from the center of an ear weighed as much as a penny, and a few pennies weighed as much as an ounce, and so on, up to a bushel and larger measures. However, wheat was not the most successful target, as it was often too raw.
If, by simple calculations, converting a bushel to kg, it will be equal to approximately forty-nine kilograms. However, such a translation is not entirely appropriate, since bushels measureproduct volume only.
Where is the bushel used?
This unit of measurement is not used for liquids, and is mainly needed to measure the volume of various bulk substances, such as cereals or flour. In addition, a bushel is also a box in which apples are transported and stored. In this case, a bushel is about thirty-eight kilograms. This unit is accepted in international trade.
By the way, in one of the films of the Pirates of the Caribbean cycle, the character of Barbossa promises the following: “Do you know what I will do when the spell breaks? … Eat a whole bushel of apples!”. Now you can imagine what an impressive number of apples he promised to eat.
