When I was thinking about Friday the 13th and superstitions a couple of days ago, it occurred to me that the number 13 crops up in at least one instance where it’s not mentioned — a Baker’s Dozen. Everyone knows a “Baker’s Dozen” is a group of 13. The origin of the term is disputed, but most agree that the practice among bakers of giving 13 items to the dozen was a safeguard against penalties for short weights and measures.
It seems that throughout history many societies have had extremely strict laws concerning bakers’s wares, due to the fact that it is fairly easy for bakers to cheat patrons and sell them less than what they think they are getting — a serious offense because bread was and is a primary food source for many people.
The Assize of Bread and Ale (1266) was the first law in British history that regulated the production and sale of food. So the thinking is that to avoid the possibility of a penalty, bakers began to include a 13th loaf of bread with every dozen sold. This extra loaf made up for any possibility that the other 12 loaves might be light. Over time, that group of 13 loaves of bread became known as a baker’s dozen.
Actually, I don’t buy that — first off, the practice of the extra loaf originated several centuries before the phrase. Another reason is that it appears that only when the bakers sold twelve loaves, they added another identical loaf to make thirteen. Were they only concerned when selling a dozen loaves? They should have had the same concern when selling 9 loaves — but there is no baker’s nine. And the Assize regulated weight — not number.
Anyhow, a couple of lesser accepted theories are: that the baker makes 13 — 12 for the customer and one for himself. That way if the batch comes out bad, he can easily find out and pitch it before it gets to the customer. Another thought is the extra item was added by the baker so the household slave/servant would be able to consume one of whatever was being purchased, while walking home with a bag full of food for their master/employer.
What do I think? That the phrase was made up because superstition prevents the number being mentioned by name… probably the extra loaf was baked as a special bribe for the devil not to spoil the batch of loaves.
But no matter — a baker’s dozen it is — when uttering “that number” makes you uncomfortable.
— 30 —