Because of my love for all things Medieval, I recently starting looking into cook wear. I have been playing around with clay and made a couple of cooking items, bowls, period pie dish and will be working on a pipkin soon but I wanted something more to use for cooking. I wondered what examples there might be out there for metal cook wear. Particularly, pots and cauldrons and I was able to find several examples in manuscripts and woodcuts. Below are just a few examples of what I found.
Küche mit Kachelofen, aus: Kuchenmaistrey, erstmals erschieben 1485 bei Peter Wagner. Abbildung aus der Ausgabe von Johannes Fischauer, Augsburg 1505
After some research, I decided I really wanted a metal cook pot/cauldron. As I am trying my best to move closer and closer to being more "period" with clothes, furniture, tents etc... I knew that this was just one of many items that would need to be researched and purchased. But promised myself before I purchased I would compare each item to pictures and extents. I happened to find these......
The cauldron in the center looks very similar to the cauldrons directly below it. Although the top is straighter rather then fluted out like the others. Below: I came across the following extents; one from a shipwreck site from Nauvo and the other is from the Museum of London.
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| Museum of London Acc. No. 7859 |
Nauvo. National Board of Antiquities
www.naba.fi/en/index
In the end, I did search many auction sites, auction houses, tag sales and recreated history cook wear sites, until I finally purchased the two cauldrons below. They were purchased from an auction site for fair prices. As for size, one holds over a gallon and the other a liter. And although these are cast iron and many cauldrons are copper alloy or bronze; they are great additions to help recreate a more period cooking experience in the kitchen. Now, on to find a long handle Medieval frying pan!
