Güveç () is a family of earthenware pots used in Balkan, Persian, Turkish, and Levantine cuisine; various casserole or stew dishes cooked in them are called ghivetch. The pot is wide and medium-tall, can be glazed or unglazed, and the dish in it is cooked with little or no additional liquid.

Construction

Clay is combined with water and sand and some combination of straw, hay, sawdust or wood ash and kneaded to remove any air bubbles. The pot is thrown or handshaped, allowed to partially dry, and the surfaces smoothed to make them non-porous. After the pot dries completely it is glazed and

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or Chemical Changes, chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects m ...

-fired. The people of Sorkun have "for centuries" specialized in the production of the pot out of locally dug clay.

Dishes

Dishes traditionally made in such pots are known throughout the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

as a traditional autumn vegetable stew, but are most closely associated with

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

and

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, where it is called ghivetch. The name ''đuveč'', an earthenware casserole in which the Turkish dish đuveč is traditionally prepared, comes from the Turkish ''güveç'' "earthenware pot"; dishes include '' türlü güveç'' (or kuzu güveç) and '' karides güveç.'' Güveç dishes can be made in any type of oven-proof pan, but according to Paula Wolfert clay or earthenware pots are preferred for the "earthy taste and aroma" they impart.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guvec Balkan cuisine Bulgarian cuisine Montenegrin cuisine Pottery shapes Sephardi Jewish cuisine Serving vessels Romanian cuisine

Construction

Dishes

See also

References