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Clay pot cooking is a process of
cooking Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to Outline of food preparation, prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric ...
food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...
in a pot made of unglazed or glazed
pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...
.


History

Cooking in unglazed clay pots which are first immersed in water dates at least to the
Etruscans The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rou ...
in first century BC but likely dates to several centuries earlier. The Romans adapted the technique and the cooking vessel, which became known as the Roman pot, a cooking vessel similar to those made since the 1960s by Romertopf. According to
Paula Wolfert Paula Wolfert (b. 1938) is an American author of nine books on cooking and the winner of numerous cookbook awards including what is arguably the top honor given in the food world: The James Beard Foundation Medal For Lifetime Achievement. A specia ...
, "all Mediterranean food used to be cooked in clay." In the
Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
, pots unglazed on the exterior known as fus (now called sandy pots) were used for wet clay cooking. In Japan clay pots are mentioned from the 8th century and originally referred to as nabe. As pots made from other materials entered use, the Japanese clay pots were distinguished by calling them donabe; "do" means clay or earth. Cooking in clay pots became less popular once metal pots became available. Clay remained popular for those dishes that depended on the unique qualities of clay cooking; Food & Wine called out such dishes as
biryani Biryani () is a mixed rice dish originating among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is made with Indian spices, rice, and usually some type of meat ( chicken, beef, goat, lamb, prawn, fish) or in some cases without any meat, ...
,
cassoulet Cassoulet (, also , ; ; from Occitan and cognates with Spanish: ''cazoleta'' and Catalan: ''cassolet'') is a rich, slow-cooked stew containing meat (typically pork sausages, goose, duck and sometimes mutton), pork skin () and white beans () ...
,
daube Daube is a classic Provençal (or more broadly, French) stew made with inexpensive beef braised in wine, vegetables, garlic, and '' herbes de Provence'', and traditionally cooked in a daubière, a braising pan. A traditional daubière is a te ...
,
tagine A tajine or tagine ( ar, طاجين) is a North African dish, named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. It is also called or . Etymology The Arabic () is derived from the Berber 'shallow earthen pot', from Ancient Greek () 'fr ...
,
jollof rice Jollof (), or jollof rice, is a rice dish from West Africa. The dish is typically made with long-grain rice, tomatoes, onions, spices, vegetables and meat in a single pot, although its ingredients and preparation methods vary across different re ...
,
kedjenou Kedjenou (also known as Kedjenou poulet and Kedjenou de Poulet) is a spicy stew that is slow-cooked in a sealed ''canari'' (terra-cotta pot) over fire or coals and prepared with chicken or guinea hen and vegetables. It is a traditional and popul ...
,
cazuela Cazuela ( or ) is the common name given to a variety of dishes, especially from South America. It receives its name from the ''cazuela'' (Spanish for cooking pot) – traditionally, an often shallow pot made of unglazed earthenware used for c ...
, and
baked beans Baked beans is a dish traditionally containing white beans that are parboiled and then, in the US, baked in sauce at low temperature for a lengthy period. In the United Kingdom, the dish is sometimes baked, but usually stewed in sauce. Canned ...
.


Properties

Clay cookers allow food to be cooked with minimal additional liquids or fats. Individual clay beds are considered to provide specific properties for cooking, and cooking vessels of a particular type often are valued for being made of the traditional type of clay. The
micaceous Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into extremely thin elastic plates. This characteristic is described as perfect basal cleavage. Mica is ...
clay found at
Taos Pueblo Taos Pueblo (or Pueblo de Taos) is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Taos-speaking (Tiwa) Native American tribe of Puebloan people. It lies about north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico. The pueblos are considered to be one of the oldest ...
holds heat for a long time. The pots made from this clay are considered to contribute flavor to what is cooked within them. The clay from Lake Biwa contains tiny fossils which incinerate and produce small pockets of air, which also hold heat. The pots made from this clay are considered to contribute to flavor to what is cooked within them. ''
Food & Wine ''Food & Wine'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and season ...
'' tested multiple dishes in multiple clay pots and said that "In test after test, we found that everything cooked in clay tasted better than the same recipes cooked in metal pans" and that the only drawback to using clay cooking vessels is that they were not indestructible.


Cooking techniques

Different cultures have different techniques of cooking food in clay pots. Some use pots that are fully finished by burnishing and therefore do not require the pot to be soaked each time before use. Some are unfinished and must be soaked in water for 30–45 minutes before each use to avoid cracking. The design and shape of the pot differ slightly from one culture to another to suit their style of cooking. Seasoning is important to prevent cracking of the vessel when exposed to high heat. Clay pots are initially seasoned with oil and hot water but may be fully seasoned only after the first several uses, during which food may take longer to cook. It is also essential to avoid sudden temperature changes, which may cause the pot to crack. Heat should be started low and increased gradually both on the stovetop and in the oven. The food inside the pot loses little to no
moisture Moisture is the presence of a liquid, especially water, often in trace amounts. Small amounts of water may be found, for example, in the air (humidity), in foods, and in some commercial products. Moisture also refers to the amount of water vapo ...
because it is surrounded by steam, creating a tender, flavorful dish. Water absorbed within the walls of the pot prevents burning so long as the pot is not allowed to dry completely. Because no oil needs to be added with this cooking technique, food cooked in clay is often lower in fat than food prepared by other methods.


Wet clay cooking

The Chinese sandy pot and the Romertopf are both soaked before being filled with food and covered with the lid, which has also been soaked. Both pots go into a cold oven. The sandy pot can also be started on the stove on a burner set very low.


Characteristics

Food cooked in clay is widely considered to acquire an "earthy" taste from the pot. Pots used for many years are believed to acquire a seasoning that contributes to the dish, and cooks often hope to acquire the pots used by their predecessors.


In Asian cuisines


Balkans

In the Balkans multiple cuisines use a clay pot, often called a guvec, to cook
ghivetch Ghivetch ( bg, гювеч, , ro, ghiveci, , fa, دیزی٫ tr, güveç, bs, đuveč, , mk, ѓувеч, , sr, ђувеч, ) is a traditional Balkan autumn vegetable stew most closely associated with Romania, where it is a national dish, and Bulg ...
and other related dishes. The comleks is a Turkish bean pot.


South Asia

In the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, the traditional pot used for cooking is called a ''chatti''. There are many different types of pots used in the different cultures of North India, Pakistan, Bangladesh.


India

In northern states including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, the cooking pots are called ''handi''. Traditionally, Indian chefs could cook many dishes simultaneously by stacking handi while cooking. In southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, the cooking pots are called 'man panai','man satti' in Tamil, 'kunda', 'matti kunda', 'kadava' in Telugu. The traditional pot used Tamil Nadu 'pongal festival' In eastern states, Champaran mutton is a delicacy.


Sri Lanka

People in
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
use clay pots to make many dishes including ''pahi'' (“little jackfruit”) fish curry, called ''abul thiyal; accharu'', a chutney; as well as some meats, rice, and several types of freshwater fish called ''Lula, Hunga, Magura and Kawaiya''.


Greater China

In China, the pot used for such cooking is generally known as shaguo () or boujai (), a Cantonese word for “little pot”. Clay pot dishes are sometimes labeled as “hot pot” or “hotpot” dishes on the menus of Chinese restaurants in English-speaking areas of the world, but they should not be confused with
hot pot Hot pot or hotpot (), also known as soup-food or steamboat, is a cooking method that originated in China. A heat source on the dining table keeps a pot of soup stock simmering, and a variety of Chinese foodstuffs and ingredients are served b ...
dishes that are served in a large metal bowl and cooked at the table. In Taiwan, the chicken dish ''
sanbeiji ''Sanbeiji'' () is a popular chicken dish in Chinese cuisine and one of the most iconic dishes of Jiangxi cuisine. The dish originates from the Jiangxi province of southern China, and is a specialty of Ningdu. The dish has become especially popu ...
'' is prepared in a clay pot. Another common Chinese clay pot is the sandpot or sandy pot, a round pot with a lid, glazed on the inside and unglazed on the outside, which allows them to be soaked before cooking but not add liquid to the ingredients. After soaking the pots are filled with food and placed in a cold oven or started over a very low burner. As of 1996 sandy pots were made in various sizes from individual serving sizes to 5 quart sizes. They are made from a specific clay which is mixed with sand before a very high-temperature firing. The sandy pot evolved from the ''fu'', which was used in the Han Dynasty to cook a dish called
weng Weng may refer to: * Weng (surname), a Chinese surname * Weng, Germany, a town in the district of Landshut, Bavaria, Germany * Weng im Innkreis, a town in the district of Braunau am Inn, Upper Austria, Austria * Weng im Gesäuse, a town in the d ...
. Common dishes are
claypot rice Claypot rice (), sometimes translated as "rice casserole", is a Chinese traditional dinner eaten widely in Guangdong in Southern China as well as the Chinese communities of Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. The rice is presoaked, or i ...
and little pot rice.


Japan

In
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, the ''
donabe ''Donabe'' (Japanese: wikt:土鍋, 土鍋, literally "earthenware pot") are pots made out of a special clay for use over an open flame in Cuisine of Japan, Japanese cuisine, and in the case of semi-stoneware Banko ware of high petalite content. O ...
'' is a traditional cooking vessel. It is made from a clay that is porous and coarse. In the area around Iga, ''
Iga-yaki is a style of Japanese pottery traditionally produced in Iga, Mie, former Iga Province, central Japan. History Iga ware's origins are believed to date to the second half of the 7th century and 8th century CE. The area has long produced a c ...
'' (Iga-style) donabe, have been made since 1832; Iga-yaki pottery in general dates back to the 7th century and is highly valued. It became particularly popular for donabe during the
Edo Period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...
. The highest-quality donabe can take two weeks to make. There are multiple styles of donabe made for the preparation of different dishes. Donabe can be used over an open flame, and food is often served out of the donabe. A culture surrounding donabe developed called "nabe o kakomu", which means "surrounding the pot" or a communal meal. The concept has been featured repeatedly in the media and in donabe cookbooks. According to Naoko Takei Moore, donabe culture "teaches the concept of ichigo-ichie, or "every moment is a once-in-a-lifetime treasure". With use, donabe develop a patina of crackling of the interior glaze called '' kannyu''. This patina is valued as a sign of character.


Korea

In Korea, the earthenware pot is called ''ddukbaegi'', often used for soups as seen in Korean restaurants. The stone pot is called ''
dolsot A ''dolsot'' () or ''gopdolsot'' () is a small-sized piece of cookware or serveware made of agalmatolite, suitable for one to two servings of '' bap'' (cooked rice). In Korean cuisine, various hot rice dishes such as bibimbap or '' gulbap'' (oy ...
'', which is heavier and has a more marbled appearance, used to cook dolsot bibimbap.


Vietnam

The
stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables and ...
-like dish '' kho'' is cooked in a pot. The pot is most often called ''nồi đất'' in
Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...
, although, depending on its size and use, it may also be called ''nồi kho cá'', ''nồi kho thịt'', ''nồi kho tiêu'', or ''nồi kho tộ''.


Philippines

The traditional pot used for cooking is the ''
palayok A ''palayok'' is a clay pot used as the traditional food preparation container in the Philippines. ''Palayok'' is a Tagalog word; in other parts of the country, especially in the Visayas, it is called a ''kulon''; smaller-sized pots are referred ...
''.


Indonesia

The traditional pot used for cooking is called ''kuali'' or ''gentong''. The famous cuisine is ''
empal gentong Empal gentong is a spicy Indonesian curry-like beef soup originating in Cirebon, West Java. It is a variety of the Soto cuisine and is similar to gulai that is usually cooked with firewood in a ''gentong'' stove ( Javanese for: clay pot). The i ...
'' (beef with coconut milk soup). Chinese Indonesian ''
sapo tahu Sapo tahu () is a Chinese Indonesian tofu dish traditionally cooked and served in claypot. Sapo tahu may be served as a vegetarian dish, or with chicken, seafood (especially shrimp), minced beef or pork. It is a popular tofu dish in Indonesia, w ...
'' is
tofu Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super f ...
and vegetables cooked in claypot.


In African cuisines


Ethiopia

Traditionally, all food was cooked in specialized clay pots. Some traditional dishes are still cooked in clay pots as the same flavor cannot be achieved with metal cookware.


Morocco

The
tajine A tajine or tagine ( ar, طاجين) is a North African dish, named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. It is also called or . Etymology The Arabic () is derived from the Berber 'shallow earthen pot', from Ancient Greek () ' ...
is a North African, two-piece pot used in Moroccan cuisine. The bottom part is a broad, shallow bowl, while the top is tall and conical, or sometimes domed. The tall lid acts to condense rising steam and allow the moisture to roll back down into the dish. The tajine lends its name to the meat stew that is typically cooked in this pot. Another Moroccan clay pot is the tagra, which is used to bake fish. A Moroccan bean pot is the gedra.


In European cuisines


France

In French cuisine the daubiere is used to cook daubes. A tripiere is a specialized earthenware pot for cooking
tripe Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle, pigs and sheep. Types of tripe Beef tripe Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's st ...
. The diable is an unglazed potbellied container used to dry-cook chestnuts or potatoes. The tian is a low rectangular pan for making tians or gratins.


Germany

Clay roasting pots called ''
Römertopf Clay pot cooking is a process of cooking food in a pot made of unglazed or glazed pottery. History Cooking in unglazed clay pots which are first immersed in water dates at least to the Etruscan civilization, Etruscans in first century BC but li ...
'' ("Roman pot") are a recreation of the wet-clay cooking vessels used by the Etruscans, and appropriated by the Romans, by at least the first century BC. They are used for a variety of dishes in the oven and are always immersed in water and soaked for at least fifteen minutes before being placed in a cold oven. Since its introduction in 1967, it has influenced cooking traditions in Germany and neighbouring countries.


Greece

A yiouvetsi is similar to a guvec.
Moussaka Moussaka (, , ) is an eggplant- or potato-based dish, often including ground meat, which is common in the Balkans and the Middle East, with many local and regional variations. The best-known version in Europe and the Americas is the Greek vari ...
is made in these.


Spain

In Spanish cooking a ceramic roaster known as '' olla de barro'' is used. Another clay pot used in Spain is the
cazuela Cazuela ( or ) is the common name given to a variety of dishes, especially from South America. It receives its name from the ''cazuela'' (Spanish for cooking pot) – traditionally, an often shallow pot made of unglazed earthenware used for c ...
.


Italy

The ''pignatta'' is a vase-shaped pot used for cooking beans in the coals of a fireplace or in a wood-fired oven. Another Italian clay pot is the
tiella Tiella is a dish in Italian cuisine that is prepared with potato, rice, onion and mussels as primary ingredients. Additional ingredients may be used. Variations of the dish exist, and some may be prepared with other types of seafood. The round ear ...
, which is a wide glazed clay pot used in Puglia and Calabria. In Tuscany the coccio and
fiasco Fiasco may refer to: * a failure or humiliating situation * Fiasco (bottle), a traditional Italian straw-covered wine bottle often associated with Chianti wine Media * ''Fiasco'' (novel), a 1987 science-fiction novel by Stanisław Lem * ''F ...
are bean pots. Dishes commonly prepared in clay pots include
ribollita Ribollita is a Tuscan bread soup, panade, porridge, or potage made with bread and vegetables, often from leftovers. There are many variations but the main ingredients always include leftover bread, cannellini beans, lacinato kale, cabbage, a ...
.


In South American cuisines

Clay pots are used in various South American dishes, including
cazuela Cazuela ( or ) is the common name given to a variety of dishes, especially from South America. It receives its name from the ''cazuela'' (Spanish for cooking pot) – traditionally, an often shallow pot made of unglazed earthenware used for c ...
, which is named for the Spanish cooking pot.


In North American cuisines

Native American civilizations traditionally cooked in clay pots, although they fell out of favor after European settlers' introduction of metal cookware. In the modern United States some cooks choose to use clay pots for health or environmental reasons.In
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
and other regions,
baked beans Baked beans is a dish traditionally containing white beans that are parboiled and then, in the US, baked in sauce at low temperature for a lengthy period. In the United Kingdom, the dish is sometimes baked, but usually stewed in sauce. Canned ...
were traditionally cooked with
salt pork Salt pork is salt-cured pork. It is usually prepared from pork belly, or, more rarely, fatback. Salt pork typically resembles uncut side bacon, but is fattier, being made from the lowest part of the belly, and saltier, as the cure is stronger an ...
in a
beanpot A beanpot is a deep, wide-bellied, short-necked vessel used to cook bean-based dishes. Beanpots are typically made of ceramic, though some are made of other materials, such as cast iron. The relatively narrow mouth of the beanpot minimizes evap ...
in a
brick oven A masonry oven, colloquially known as a brick oven or stone oven, is an oven consisting of a baking chamber made of fireproof brick, concrete, stone, clay (clay oven), or cob (cob oven). Though traditionally wood-fired, coal-fired ovens were c ...
for six to eight hours. In the absence of a brick oven, the beans were cooked in a beanpot nestled in a bed of embers placed near the outer edges of a hearth, about a foot away from the fire. "Bean hole" cooking may have originated with the native
Penobscot people The Penobscot (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewi'') are an Indigenous people in North America from the Northeastern Woodlands region. They are organized as a federally recognized tribe in Maine and as a First Nations band government in the Atlantic ...
and later practiced in logging camps. A fire would be made in a stone-lined pit and allowed to burn down to hot coals, and then a pot with seasoned beans would be placed in the ashes, covered over with dirt, and left to cook overnight or longer. The beans were a staple of New England logging camps, served at every meal., Maine Folklife Center


References


{{Cooking techniques Cooking techniques ja:鍋#材質と特徴