Tuesday, in "Historically yours", our columnist David Castello-Lopes was interested in the origins of the thrifty knife, which makes it possible to peel fruits and vegetables more easily.

Its inventor lived in Thiers, in Auvergne, in the 1920s. 

Every day, in 

Historically yours

, David Castello-Lopes offers to discover the origins of a known object.

Tuesday, the columnist looked at the history of the thrifty knife, this very practical tool for peeling vegetables.

It was born at the beginning of the 20th century in Auvergne, in the town of Thiers. 

"Half of the time when I peel vegetables, I peel my fingers. And just as a peeled vegetable allows you to obtain an improved version of the vegetable, with very interesting cooking possibilities, so it is very impractical to cook with a cut finger. But luckily today there is the potato peeler, which some also call the apple peeler. In fact, most people call it the peeler. 

An Auvergne town

Not only does this peeler make it safe to peel vegetables, it also makes great whole peels.

But who invented this kitchen tool?

To conduct this investigation, I took the train at Bercy station, to go to the town of Thiers, in Auvergne.

However, Thiers is the world capital of the knife.

They are found everywhere. 

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It is in this city that Victor Pouzet lived.

This man was a knife maker in the 1920s, and one of the only things we know about him is that he invented the peeler.

We also know the location of his workshop in the town, the building still existing.

For a long time it was an orthodontic practice, but now it looks abandoned. 

Today, automatic peelers

Today, thousands of thrips are made around the world every year.

And I was able to visit a manufacturing plant in Thiers, which produces a brand called Déglon.

And it's a fascinating thing to see, especially the way the blades are cut. 

But nowadays there is even better than thrifty: automatic peelers. Just place the apple in it and it peels on its own with annoying perfection. "