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The cooking pots in the northern states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan are referred to as handis. Indian cooks used to stack handis during cooking to prepare multiple dishes at once.
The terms "man panai," "man satti," "kunda," "matti kunda," and "kadava" refer to the cooking pots in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. The "Pongal festival" pot used in Tamil Nadu is traditional. A delicacy in the eastern states is Champaran mutton.
Did you know clay pots are not only used in India, but the whole world has traces of it?
Cooking in unglazed clay pots that are initially submerged in water dates back several centuries, if not more, to the Etruscans of the first century BC. The cooking vessel, which resembled those manufactured by the German business Römertopf since April 1967, was modified by the Romans and became known as the Roman pot. Also, all Mediterranean food used to be cooked in clay, which is how Indian cooking adopted the clay pot in records.
During the Han Dynasty, wet clay was cooked with fus and pots with an unglazed surface.
In Japan, clay pots are said to have originated from the eighth century and were called nabe at first. "Do" signifies clay or dirt; hence, the Japanese clay pots were called donabe when pots made of other materials came into use.
As metal pots became available, cooking in clay pots lost popularity. Food & Wine highlighted recipes, including biryani, cassoulet, daube, tagine, jollof rice, kedjenou, cazuela, and baked beans, as examples of how clay cooking maintained its popularity.
Now that you know about clay pots and cooking, here are reasons why you should use them today, too.
5 Advantages To Cook In Clay Pots
1. Porous
The porous nature of clay pots allows heat and moisture to pass through the meal. Resulting in slow-cooked but flavorful cuisine. It also keeps the food's nutrients, which are typically lost while using other kinds of cutlery. As the collagen totally degrades and the muscle proteins denature, the temperature inertia of clay pots keeps meat delicate and soft.
2. Alkaline
As clay is alkaline by nature, it reacts with the acidity of food to neutralise the pH balance and ultimately improve the nutritional value and taste of the meal. It is thought to supply the necessary minerals that are good for human health, such as calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, and sulphur.
Read More: The 6 Benefits Of Cooking Food On Stoneware
3. Innately Cool
Not only does cooking in a clay pot yield a more tasty and healthy cuisine, but it also simplifies the cooking process and has other health benefits. Cooking with a clay pot is recommended by Ayurveda because of its many health benefits. Heat and moisture are able to move throughout clay pots due to the porosity and inherent insulating qualities of clay.
In addition to making cooking in a clay pot slower, this also helps to keep novice cooks from burning their food. More significantly, this results in substantially less moisture and nutrient loss while cooking in clay pots as opposed to using metal or enamel-lined cookware.
4. Benefits The Body
The traditional Indian cooking techniques are very healthful and wise. Using iron utensils in one of your daily meals three times a week will assist you in addressing your micronutrient deficiencies, boosting your blood's natural haemoglobin levels, and enhancing oxygen levels. Additionally, this cookware is a great substitute for your non-stick pans because it is safe, non-toxic, requires less oil, has outstanding thermal density, and preserves nutrients. Using old cookware to prepare food can actually improve your health!
5. Guarantees Tasty Food
The flavour of the food is enhanced by the long cooking process and porous nature of clay pots, which allow moisture and scent to remain in the pot without losing any nutrients. Additionally, it has an earthy flavour that you can bet you won't find in any other tool. You can also use charcoal soaking in these pots as they incredibly absorb the smell giving your smokiness.
Earthenware had traditionally been an integral element of Indian households, but due to convenience and time restrictions, millennials preferred other utensils to Earthenware. However, with awareness and availability, many urban households are reverting to Earthenware and terracotta cutlery. You, too, can use them to benefit the health and taste of the food.
