Riihittää

Riihittää is a Finnish verb that translates to "to thresh" in English. Threshing is the agricultural process of separating cereal grains from straw and husks. Historically, riihittää was a crucial step in grain production, typically performed after harvesting. The word itself is derived from "riihirakka," a traditional Finnish threshing barn or shed, often called a "riihikota."

There were several traditional methods of riihittää. One common technique involved beating the harvested grain stalks with flails. Another involved having livestock, such as cattle or horses, tread on the grain. In a riihirakka, the grain stalks would be spread on the floor, and then men would use flails to beat the grain, separating the kernels from the chaff. Alternatively, the stalks might be pulled through a coarse comb-like apparatus.

The purpose of riihittää was to prepare the grain for storage and further processing. Once threshed, the grain could be winnowed to remove the lighter chaff and straw, leaving the heavier grain kernels. This process was essential for obtaining usable grain for food, such as flour for bread. Modern agricultural practices have largely replaced traditional riihittää methods with mechanized threshing machines.