What is a "Potjie"?
Known in Africa as the "potjie" (pronounced "poi-kei"), the pot originated in Europe in the late 17th Century. The pots made their way to Africa with settlers and missionaries who left Europe to colonise the new world. As the Dutch landed at the Cape of Good Hope and ventured into the heartland of Africa, they adapted their round-bottomed pots to include three legs so that it could stand practically anywhere. A dome lid was added that allowed for coals to be placed on top of the lid so that the food could be cooked from both above and below.
These potjie pots retained heat well and could be left simmering over a few embers and also to bake fresh, crusty bread. Any food that was cooked in a potjie was known as potjiekos - pronounced poy-key-kos – and literally translated means ‘pot food’. The potjie and potjiekos have become part of South Africa’s cooking heritage.
Tribal Africans traded animal hides and other commodities for these practical potjie pots which slowly replaced the clay pots that they used for cooking. The pots were used for cooking everything from maize meal porridge to game meat to fat mopani worms using any fuel source available. As a result, the potjie is used extensively in Africa today by almost all cultures.
Our "Potjie" Pots
BBQ Gurus currently has two types of “Potjie” pots available:
- A 3 Legged variety that ranges in size from number 3 (7.8 litres) to number 25 (70.5 litres). A number 3 pot can easily feed 6 to 8 adults and is perfect for easily catering for a group of people with minimal effort. Cooking is typically over an open fire or charcoal. These pots can also be used on gas camping stoves by making the legs stand in between the steel rungs.
- A flat bottomed pot in sizes 1 to 3 (7.8 litres). What makes these pots unique is that they can be used on electric stoves or stand flat on a camping stove whilst still retaining the temperature and cooking benefits of the three legged pots.
The pot comes with cleaning and storing instructions.
Benefits of Cooking in "Potjie" Pots
- The 3 Legs and round belly shape allows for even heat distribution around the pot.
- Maintains the temperature at the lowest point to prevent the food from burning.
- The domed lid allows for optimal internal heat circulation.
- The peripheral gutter on the lid can be used for coals to provide heat from above for baking.
- The tall legs make it ideal for cooking directly over fire / coals or gas range.
What to look for when buying a "Potjie"?
Good quality “potjie” pots last a lifetime so buy the best quality you can find. “Potjie” cooking requires that the lid be on the pot to seal in the moisture, so be sure to check that the lid fits tightly. Pot lids get extremely hot, so make sure to buy a lid lifter.
Using your "Potjie" for the first time.
While all our pots are cured and can be used as soon as they have been rinsed out with water, we recommend that you ‘break’ the pot in and the simplest way to do this is to cook up a whole cabbage (including the outer leaves). Once the cabbage is in the pot, cover it with water and let it simmer for a few hours.
Cooking with your "Potjie"
Cooking a potjie is a social event and is expected to be a long process sometimes taking up to four hours. Traditionally, when cooking a potjie, the ingredients are placed into the pot in layers with the meat and hard vegetables at the bottom and the softer vegetables at the top. Cooking in a potjie is different to cooking a stew mainly because you never stir a potjie while cooking. The main reason being that the round belly allows the heat to be evenly distributed around the pot. The domed lid prevents any moisture escaping. When you have finished using your pot, clean it out well, dry it and, to prevent rust, rub cooking oil around the inside and place a few sheets of newspaper inside.
For a list of potjie recipes google "Potjie Recipes".
