Clay Pan: have you heard of it?

I live in Vitória, an island that is the capital of Espirito Santo, located in the Southeast region of Brazil. Here in Vitoria, it is part of the culture to use a Clay Pan for the preparation of a typical dish from here: Moqueca Capixaba. This dish is made with tomato, onion, garlic, whiting fish and coriander. In other posts I spent recipes of tips on this delicacy here of Espirito Santo.

What I want to talk about first is the Clay Pan story. A handmade product, made by the Paneleiras Capixabas, who live in the neighborhood of Goiabeiras, in Vitória. With competence, they make in pottery, pots, pots, platters, teapots, cauldrons, pans, roasters, etc., of various shapes and sizes. The manufacturing process is practically the same as the Indians used when the Portuguese came here at the time of discovery.

Previously, the pails worked individually in their own homes. Currently, more organized, they are grouped in the Association of Paneleiras de Goiabeiras, a kind of cooperative.

The main raw material, the clay, is extracted in the region itself, in deposits of the Mulembá Valley. The clay, before being used, undergoes a cleaning process, called "choice", which consists in the removal of impurities, such as stones and vegetable remains. Then, properly wrapped in plastic to maintain moisture, it is stored, resting, before being used.

The modeling of the pots is done manually, without the use of the potter's wheel. The wall is being lifted, in the desired shape, using the roller technique or directly, by digging the "ball" of clay. Of course, the most striking feature of the pots is their dark coloration. This is obtained by impregnating the piece with tannin, existing in the tree of the red mangrove - "rhizophora mangle". It uses its bark that is taken from the trunk, beating strongly with a wooden club. The chips obtained in this way are chopped and put in a sauce in fresh water to enjoy for at least three days. This practice in the region is not predatory, with a clear awareness of preservation by the "casqueiros". In this sense, they only remove the bark from one side of the trunk, in a small amount, a procedure that does not harm the tree and the ecosystem of the mangrove. The result of this method is to make the pan impermeable, preventing the proliferation of fungi, which, over time, crumble the clay. It should be noted that the dark color of the pan allows a better concentration of the heat, facilitating the cooking and the preservation of the food.

The molded pans are placed in a ventilated place and protected from the sun until they dry completely. Only after the burning is done, not in the oven, but in open fires. Even primitive method adopted by the indigenous tribes that existed here.

But how to choose and how to use a clay pot for the first time? First of all, it is important to know how to choose a good clay pan because there are several formats: rice cooker, beans and moqueca, among others.

In addition, before using it, you must burn them:

Take your new pot of clay and with the aid of a brush pass cooking oil throughout the pan, both inside and outside, take to the fire with nothing inside to burn this oil. Remove the pan from the fire and let it cool completely. With it already cold you can wash it, because it is already waterproof and ready for use!

In the next post I will put a recipe of those to be made in Panela de Barro!

I hope you enjoy it!

See you!
Roberta