Description Handmade from nothing more than clay, this tierra negra® black clay cookware can be accurately described as organic. No artificial chemicals of any description are used in its production. It is made in a traditional manner mostly by women, in a few small villages in the Colombian Andes, from the course grey clay found locally. Unlike most other ceramic ovenware it has a natural clay glaze rather than a vitreous glaze. It is this, and the particular combination of clays used in its production, that makes tierra negra® safe to use both in the oven and over direct heat on the hob – gas, electric, Aga or ceramic. It can also be used under the grill and in the microwave and can be washed safely in the dishwasher. Cooks love it because it retains its heat so well and enhances the flavour of the food. Its attractive black satin finish also makes it ideal for serving food on the table and for eating from directly. These oval sauté dishes are one of the oldest tierra negra designs. Traditionally they would have been used for cooking over an open fire. The unusual handles require considerable skill to make and are called orejas (pronounced o-ray’-has) in Spanish, which means “ears”. You can usually tell who made the dish just from the shape of the handles; they are almost a signature. It requires amazing skill to mould these pieces by hand, especially the larger dishes which may be up to 40 cm in length. No two items are the same and variations in size will occur. Small: Volume: 0.6 litres Length: 25cm, Width: 18cm, Height: 6cm Medium: Volume: 0.8 litres Length: 29cm, Width: 19cm, Height: 6cm Large: Volume: 2.7 litres Length: 40cm, Width: 28cm, Height: 8cm Made in Colombia
