Cooking with Clay Pots

South America has a tradition of cooking with clay pots. Peruvian pachamanca is baked in clay pots placed in underground ovens, and Brazilian feijoada is always served in an array of different-sized clay dishes. The kitchen of the house we rented in Peru was decorated with antique clay pots. The pot pictured here could go right onto the stove on high heat without breaking, yet it appeared to be unglazed. Just seasoned and well-used.

I really wanted to keep one of those seasoned clay pots - there were so many I don't think anyone would have noticed - but I left them there. Instead I bought a brand new, terra cotta unglazed clay pot at the market and brought it back with me. It survived the trip, but I am afraid to use it for fear I will crack it in my ignorance. I asked in Peru how to season them, but everyone had a different method. It seemed like a mysterious process - something you had to learn from your grandmother. Or maybe everyone's grandmother just passed down the family cooking pots, like Southerners do with well-seasoned cast iron skillets.

Therefore I'm very excited about Paula Wolfert's new book, MEDITERRANEAN CLAY POT COOKING: Traditional and Modern Recipes to Savor and Share. I can't wait to learn the secrets of cooking with clay, which according to Paula Wolfert, will add great flavor to food, and cook it slowly to perfection, better than any crockpot ever could. I hope to get my pot seasoned up and hard at work very soon.

Potato Gratin Dauphinoise Recipe from Paula Wolfert
Using Unglazed Clay Cookers for Oven Roasting
Asian Food and Clay Pot Cooking