{{Short description|Process of cooking food in pottery}} {{Refimprove|date=November 2013}}
300px|thumb|Cooking of ''svadbarski kupus'' (wedding cabbage) in ceramic pots, Serbia '''Clay pot cooking''' is a process of cooking food in a ceramic pot.
=={{anchor|Roman pot|Römertopf}}History== Cooking in unglazed clay pots which are first immersed in water dates at least to the Etruscans in first century BC but likely dates to several centuries earlier.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Karoff|first=Barbara|date=1996-01-10|title=Cooking in Clay|url=https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/COOKING-IN-CLAY-3153419.php|access-date=2022-01-26|website=San Francisco Examiner|language=en-US}}</ref> The Romans adapted the technique and the cooking vessel, which became known as the Roman pot, a cooking vessel similar to those made since April 1967 by the German company Römertopf.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Sales|first=Georgia MacLeod|title=The clay-pot cookbook: a new way of cooking in an ancient pot|publisher=Atheneum|others=Grover Sales|year=1974|isbn=0-689-10643-2|edition=1st|location=New York|pages=xi-xii|oclc=1113977}}</ref> According to Paula Wolfert, "all Mediterranean food used to be cooked in clay."<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Wolfert|first=Paula|title=Mediterranean clay pot cooking : traditional and modern recipes to savor and share|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7645-7633-1|location=Hoboken, N.J.|pages=x|oclc=298538015|author-link=Paula Wolfert}}</ref>
In the Han dynasty, pots unglazed on the exterior known as ''fus'' (now called sandy pots) were used for wet clay cooking.<ref name=":1" />
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.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=3}}
Cooking in clay pots became less popular once metal pots became available.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Heck|first=Mary-Frances|title=The Food & Wine Guide to Clay Pot Cooking|url=https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/guide-to-clay-pot-cooking-recipes|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Food & Wine|language=en}}</ref> Clay remained popular for those dishes that depended on the unique qualities of clay cooking; Food & Wine called out such dishes as biryani, cassoulet, daube, tagine, jollof rice, ''kedjenou'', ''cazuela'', and baked beans.<ref name=":3"/> thumb|Earthenware cooking pot on gridiron
==Properties== Clay cookers allow food to be cooked with minimal additional liquids or fats.<ref>{{Cite book|last=White|first=Joanna|title=Cooking in clay|date=1995|publisher=Bristol Pub. Enterprises|isbn=1-55867-118-8|location=San Leandro, Calif.|oclc=32511101}}</ref>
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.<ref name=":3"/> The micaceous clay found at Taos Pueblo holds heat for a long time.<ref name=":3"/> The pots made from this clay are considered to contribute flavor to what is cooked within them.<ref name=":3" />
The clay from Lake Biwa contains tiny fossils which incinerate and produce small pockets of air, which also hold heat.<ref name=":3"/> The pots made from this clay are considered to contribute to flavor to what is cooked within them.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last=Moore|first=Naoko Takei|title=Donabe : classic and modern Japanese clay pot cooking|date=2015|others=Kyle Connaughton|isbn=978-1-60774-699-7|edition=First|location=Berkeley|oclc=903284492}}</ref>{{Rp|page=6}}
''Food & Wine'' 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.<ref name=":3" />
==Cooking techniques== {{Unreferenced section|date=January 2022}} 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 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.<ref name=":1" /> Both pots go into a cold oven.<ref name=":1" /> The sandy pot can also be started on the stove on a burner set very low.<ref name=":1" />
==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.<ref name="wolfert x, xvi-xvii" />
==In Asian cuisines==
===Balkans=== In the Balkans multiple cuisines use a clay pot, often called a ''güveç'', to cook ''ghivetch'' and other related dishes.<ref name="wolfert 88,133">{{Cite book|last=Wolfert|first=Paula|title=Mediterranean clay pot cooking : traditional and modern recipes to savor and share|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7645-7633-1|location=Hoboken, N.J.|pages=88,133|oclc=298538015|author-link=Paula Wolfert}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=88,133}} The ''comleks'' is a Turkish bean pot.<ref name="wolfert">{{Cite book|last=Wolfert|first=Paula|title=Mediterranean clay pot cooking : traditional and modern recipes to savor and share|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7645-7633-1|location=Hoboken, N.J.|pages=|oclc=298538015|author-link=Paula Wolfert}}</ref>{{Rp|page=241}}
===South Asia=== In the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana in India, the traditional pot used for cooking is called ''chatti''. There are many different types of pots used in the different cultures of North India, Pakistan, Bangladesh.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
====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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
====Sri Lanka==== People in Sri Lanka use clay pots to make many dishes including ''pahi'' 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''.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
===Greater China=== thumb|right|Chinese claypots, used in cooking either food or medicine In China, the pot used for such cooking is generally known as ''shaguo'' ({{zh|t=砂鍋|cy=sāwō|p=shāguō|links=no}}) or ''boujai'' ({{zh|t=煲仔|cy=bōu jái|links=no}}), 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 dishes that are served in a large metal bowl and cooked at the table. In Taiwan, the chicken dish ''sanbeiji'' is prepared in a clay pot.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
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.<ref name="wolfert xiv-xv">{{Cite book|last=Wolfert|first=Paula|title=Mediterranean clay pot cooking : traditional and modern recipes to savor and share|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7645-7633-1|location=Hoboken, N.J.|pages=xiv-xv|oclc=298538015|author-link=Paula Wolfert}}</ref> After soaking the pots are filled with food and placed in a cold oven or started over a very low burner.<ref name=":1" /> As of 1996 sandy pots were made in various sizes from individual serving sizes to 5 quart sizes.<ref name=":1" /> They are made from a specific clay which is mixed with sand before a very high-temperature firing.<ref name=":1" /> The sandy pot evolved from the ''fu'', which was used in the Han dynasty to cook a dish called ''weng''.<ref name=":1" />
Common dishes are claypot rice and little pot rice.
===Japan=== In Japan, the ''donabe'' is a traditional cooking vessel.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" /> It is made from a clay that is porous and coarse.<ref name=":3"/><ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=7}} In the area around Iga, ''Iga-yaki'' (Iga-style) ''donabe'', have been made since 1832;<ref name=":5"/>{{Rp|page=xiii}} ''Iga-yaki'' pottery in general dates back to the 7th century and is highly valued.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=|pages=17–18}} It became particularly popular for ''donabe'' during the Edo period.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=18}} The highest-quality ''donabe'' can take two weeks to make.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|pages=7–8}} There are multiple styles of ''donabe'' made for the preparation of different dishes.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=8}}
''Donabe'' can be used over an open flame, and food is often served out of the ''donabe''.<ref name=":5" />
A culture surrounding ''donabe'' developed called ''nabe o kakomu'', which means 'surrounding the pot' or a communal meal.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=4}} The concept has been featured repeatedly in the media and in ''donabe'' cookbooks.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=6}} According to Naoko Takei Moore, ''donabe'' culture "teaches the concept of ''ichigo-ichie'', or "every moment is a once-in-a-lifetime treasure".<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=37}}
With use, ''donabe'' develop a patina of crackling of the interior glaze called ''kannyu''. This patina is valued as a sign of character.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=9}}
===Korea=== In Korea, the earthenware pot is called ''ddukbaegi'', often used for soups as seen in Korean restaurants. The stone pot is called ''dolsot'', which is heavier and has a more marbled appearance, used to cook ''dolsot bibimbap''.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
===Vietnam=== The stew-like dish ''kho'' is cooked in a pot. The pot is most often called ''nồi đất'' in Vietnamese, 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''.
===Palestine===
Clay vessels are used in several dishes in Palestinian cuisine, a ''zibdiye'' ({{langx|ar|زبدية}}) is an unglazed clay bowl used extensively in the Gaza Strip as a cooking vessel (but also as mortar and pestle and serving dish), its used to prepare dishes like ''zibdiyit gambari''; a shrimp stew that is baked in a zibdiye.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schmitt |first1=Maggie |title=The Must-Have Kitchen Gadget From the Gaza Strip |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2010/11/the-must-have-kitchen-gadget-from-the-gaza-strip/65429/ |access-date=29 June 2025 |work=The Atlantic |date=1 November 2010 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Knell |first1=Yolande |title=Keeping alive Gaza's culinary traditions |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22560237 |access-date=29 June 2025 |work=BBC News |date=20 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Tapper |first1=Malaika Kanaaneh |title=In Gaza, pottery for those who have lost everything |url=https://www.ft.com/content/f52377eb-d884-40cd-99f1-6da34d41b1f2 |access-date=29 June 2025 |work=Financial Times |date=3 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="haddad"/>
''Qidreh'' ({{langx|ar|قدرة|translation=clay vessel}}) is a ceremonial rice and meat dish traditionally cooked in a clay pot that is placed in a communal oven, it is named after the pot it is cooked in.<ref name="haddad">{{Cite book |last=El-Haddad |first=Laila |title=The Gaza Kitchen |isbn=9781682570968 |edition=2nd |language=en |pages=243–248}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Assil |first1=Reem |last2=Mohammad |first2=Abutaha |title=Lamb Qidreh Is the Arab Rice Dish That Will Steal the Show |url=https://www.thekitchn.com/lamb-qidreh-23313032 |website=Kitchn |access-date=29 June 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="falastin">{{cite book |last1=Tamimi |first1=Sami |last2=Wigley |first2=Tara |author1-link=Sami Tamimi |title=Falastin: A Cookbook |date=16 June 2020 |publisher=Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed |isbn=978-0-399-58174-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PACmDwAAQBAJ |access-date=3 June 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
===Philippines=== The traditional pot used for cooking is the ''palayok''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Alfonso-Gregorio |first1=Nikki |title=NSW potter brings palayok and other Filipino-inspired tableware to the forefront |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/language/filipino/en/article/nsw-potter-brings-palayok-and-other-filipino-inspired-tableware-to-the-forefront/mrf56gwx9 |access-date=29 June 2025 |work=SBS Language |date=1 January 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Paradijon potters: Reviving the culture of pottery in Sorsogon town |url=https://pia.gov.ph/paradijon-potters-reviving-the-culture-of-pottery-in-sorsogon-town/ |website=Philippine Information Agency |access-date=29 June 2025 |date=20 October 2023}}</ref>
===Indonesia=== [[File:IndonesianFood SapoTauhu.JPG|thumb|right|''Sapo tahu'' tofu and vegetables cooked in claypot]] The traditional pot used for cooking is called ''kuali'' or ''gentong''. The famous cuisine is ''empal gentong'' (beef with coconut milk soup). Chinese Indonesian ''sapo tahu'' is tofu and vegetables cooked in claypot.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
==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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} thumb|left|Tajine potter
===Morocco=== The tajine 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.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last=Jacobi|first=Dana|title=The best of clay pot cooking|date=1995|publisher=Collins Publishers San Francisco|others=Elizabeth Watt|isbn=0-00-225051-9|location=San Francisco, CA|oclc=32396677}}</ref> The tall lid acts to condense rising steam and allow the moisture to roll back down into the dish.<ref name="wolfert x, xvi-xvii">{{Cite book|last=Wolfert|first=Paula|title=Mediterranean clay pot cooking : traditional and modern recipes to savor and share|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7645-7633-1|location=Hoboken, N.J.|pages=x, xvi-xvii|oclc=298538015|author-link=Paula Wolfert}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" /> A Moroccan bean pot is the ''gedra''.<ref name="wolfert" />{{Rp|page=241}}
==In European cuisines==
===France=== In French cuisine the ''daubiere'' is used to cook daubes.<ref name="wolfert" />{{Rp|page=x}} A ''tripiere'' is a specialized earthenware pot for cooking tripe.<ref name="wolfert" />{{Rp|page=x}} The diable is an unglazed potbellied container used to dry-cook chestnuts or potatoes.<ref name="wolfert" />{{Rp|page=222}} The tian is a low rectangular pan for making tians or gratins.<ref name=":4" />
===Germany=== thumb|right|225px|A ''Römertopf'' Clay roasting pots called ''Römertopf'' ('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.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> 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.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Since its introduction in 1967, it has influenced cooking traditions in Germany and neighbouring countries.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
===Greece=== A ''yiouvetsi'' is similar to a ''güveç''.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} Moussaka is made in these.<ref name="wolfert" />{{Rp|page=229}}
===Spain=== In Spanish cooking a ceramic roaster known as ''olla de barro'' is used.<ref name="wolfert" />{{Rp|page=xiv}} Another clay pot used in Spain is the ''cazuela''.<ref name=":0"/>
===Italy=== The {{lang|it|pignatta}} is a vase-shaped pot used for cooking beans in the coals of a fireplace or in a wood-fired oven.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pizza, Pane & Pignata|language=English|date=18 October 2011|author1=Barbara Goldfield|url=http://www.italiannotebook.com/food-wine/pignata/|website=ItalianNotebook|accessdate=12 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author1=Alessia|title=La "Pignata"|url=http://www.ilsudchenontiaspetti.it/la-pignata/|website=Il Sud che non ti aspetti|accessdate=12 August 2016|language=Italian|date=17 November 2013}}</ref><ref name=":0"/> Another Italian clay pot is the {{lang|it|tiella}}, which is a wide glazed clay pot used in Apulia and Calabria.<ref name="wolfert" />{{Rp|pages=x,172}} In Tuscany the {{lang|it|coccio}} and {{lang|it|fiasco}} are bean pots.<ref name="wolfert" />{{Rp|page=245}}
Dishes commonly prepared in clay pots include {{lang|it|ribollita}}.<ref name="wolfert" />{{Rp|pages=36–37}}
==In South American cuisines== Clay pots are used in various South American dishes, including ''cazuela'', which is named for the Spanish cooking pot.<ref name=":0"/>
==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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} In the modern United States some cooks choose to use clay pots for health or environmental reasons.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} In New England and other regions, baked beans were traditionally cooked with salt pork in a beanpot in a brick oven for six to eight hours.<ref name="boston cook">{{cite book|last=Farmer|first=Fannie|title=Boston Cooking-School Cook Book'|year=1896|isbn=0-451-12892-3|page=212|publisher=New American Library }}</ref> 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 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Common Ground's Bean Hole Beans|url=http://www.mofga.org/Default.aspx?tabid=659|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307120218/http://www.mofga.org/Default.aspx?tabid=659|archive-date=7 March 2013|access-date=2 November 2012|website=Mofga.org|df=dmy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Foodways Research: A Taste of Maine|url=http://www.umaine.edu/folklife/foodways.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090818145319/http://www.umaine.edu/folklife/foodways.htm|archive-date=18 August 2009|website=Maine Folklife Center}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Maine Folklife Center|url=http://www.umaine.edu/folklife/foodways.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090818145319/http://www.umaine.edu/folklife/foodways.htm|archive-date=18 August 2009|access-date=2009-08-19}}, Maine Folklife Center</ref>
==See also== {{Cookbook-inline}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Cooking techniques}}
Category:Utility vessels Category:Cooking techniques