[Sca-cooks] Clay-Pot Chicken

[Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise]

> 
> 1) What do you use for this clay pot? Is this something you need to buy 
> at a kitchen utensil place? I think I may have seen such an item, but I 
> don't remember it being big enough to hold a chicken. Or do you use an 
> unglazed flower pot from the nursery? But I thought those had a 
> drainage hole in them, and I suspect you want to contain the steam in 
> the pot.

There is a clay pot sold for this, in big kitchen stores, or you can 
find them at Asian stores sometimes too.
 
> 2) Could this technique be used over a bed of coals on a fire with more 
> hot coals placed around it and on top, rather than an oven? Or will 
> that let dirt through the porous pot or keep something (air?) from 
> passing through that you want passing through?

Yes, you can use a pot of this sort in a bed of coals; you will want to 
seal it with flour paste so it doesn't come open in handling.

> 3) Any evidence of this technique being used in medieval Europe or the 
> Middle East?

Yes, a number of sources call for something like this but I'm afraid I 
can't remember them! Eep!

-- 
-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net 
Sybil: "Have you been upsetting people?"
Vimes: "I think I may let people upset themselves."
Sybil: "Good for you. You do that so well."
	-- Terry Pratchett, _The Fifth Elephant_