The unit of capacity for solid products, such as grains, was for centuries the alqueire, with its subdivisions of ½ alqueire, quarter, and eighth. To ensure accurate measurement, during the reign of D. Sebastião the use of the rasoura became mandatory, an instrument that leveled and removed the excess from the measure. After the work, the miller would take a portion of the flour as payment for his labor — the maquia — using a small measure of the same name. This piece is part of the Ethnography Collection of the Museum of Angra do Heroísmo.
