[Sca-cooks] Pottery for Cooking/Eating

[Stefan li Rous]

Aleska asked:
> What sort of pottery cooking, serving vessels would YOU like to see?
> What would be most useful to you, and what are hard to find pieces?

Unbreakable!

Most of our events here are outside camping events. I'm afraid pottery
utensils would have a very short lifespan with me. That's the reason
I use pewter. My wife has already gone through several mugs she liked.
I'll be trying to glue a few pieces back on the rim of one of them shortly.

> So far we are working up prototypes of covered Pipkins and rounded jars,
> goblets, pitchers, and drinking cups. I can't wait to try cooking over a
> fire in these things!

Remember that one of the reasons metal pots were desired was that
they could be placed directly over the fire, whereas the pottery
pots couldn't be. They had to be put on coals? or next tot he fire?

If you are getting involved in making pottery utensils, perhaps
these files in the CRAFTS section of the Florilegium might be
of interest:
pottery-msg       (81K)  3/23/01    Medieval pottery, kilns. modern equivalents.
pottery-whels-msg (28K)  1/24/01    Period pottery wheels. Types.
Building them.

I believe there is also an SCA Pottery mail list.

> We did use a rounded jar for serving up frumentry
> in a cooking arts contest, and I think it looked neat!

For serving they should work fine, if your servers don't drop
them.

> Now we just need to find good sources for spoons and ladles too....

You mean modern manufactured ones? Or you are looking for source
material on period spoons and ladles? If the latter, check these
files in the FOOD-UTENSILS section:
p-tableware-msg   (47K)  4/11/01    Period tableware. Period references
spoons-msg        (14K)  6/20/00    Period spoons. References. Construction.
utensils-msg     (166K)  4/11/01    Utensils, plates, trenchers, cast
iron pots.

There is also this article in the CRAFTS section:
Horn-Spoons-art    (9K)  1/ 5/00    "Making Horn Spoons" by Mistress
Gunnora
                                       Hallakarva.

> Looking forward to hearing what all you might have to add.

I hope this helps or is at least interesting.
--
THLord  Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas         stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****