Roman pot
A Roman pot is a pot made of clay , usually with a lid made of the same material. The food is prepared in the oven. It became popular in Germany in the 1970s. The name used as a generic name is a registered trademark of the manufacturer Römertopf Keramik , who have been producing such pots since 1967.
Even in prehistoric times, dishes were wrapped in a clay coat to cook them in hot ashes or over an open fire. The steam cooking of food in its own juice was perfected by the Romans , who preferred pots made of clay to those made of iron.
Even today in North Africa , especially in Morocco , dishes are prepared in a pointed tajine . A similar device is also used in Japan, but like the Swiss caquelons , without a lid. Meat stews in particular, often with legumes, have been prepared in clay in many cultures for centuries: On the Balkan Peninsula, the juwetsch in the pot of the same name, the Chinese shaguo, the Spanish frijoles de la olla (beans from the clay pot), the Turkish lamb dish or Kuzu Güveç in Italy all kinds of casseroles in the (open) pirofila di terracotta .
Clay pots are also suitable as bread boxes for storing bread. You can also bake whole-grain bread with them , because of the good heat storage it does not collapse and gets up and loose.
Today around 400,000 Roman pots are produced each year. Around 40% are exported abroad, including to Japan and America.
Advantages of the clay pot
- Cooking is done with minimal or no addition of liquid. Thus, the taste , juice, aroma and nutrients are almost completely preserved.
- Almost all dishes can be cooked without adding fat .
- The lid protects the oven from contamination by splashes, and nothing can burn or boil over.
- Leaving the food in the oven for too long has almost no negative effects as the moisture content of the pot prevents it from drying out.
- Meat becomes more tender than other types of preparation.
- No or minimal odors in the kitchen
- The stove and kitchen don't get dirty
- Better heat distribution than metal products
- Heat is stored longer than metal products
Disadvantages of the clay pot
- The Römertopf is not ready to use immediately, but must be soaked before use. Roman pots that have been in use for a long time usually have a patina on the inside . This means that hardly any water can penetrate the clay. However, it can be boiled with vinegar water to restore the original properties.
- A Roman pot is more delicate than a metal roasting pan . It must not be pushed into the hot oven or poured with cold liquid when it is hot, as ceramics can shatter in the event of temperature shocks. For the same reason, you should never place the hot Roman pot on a cold or wet surface, but on wood or cork .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sound The good one. In: Der Tagesspiegel . February 13, 2011, accessed April 15, 2020 .