About

The three-legged pot was originally used widely across Europe and it was introduced to South Africa when Europeans settled there. Today, more than 500 years later, Potjie cooking is a strong tradition that belongs to all the different peoples and food cultures of South Africa.

It is a way of socializing, a way to have a party, and a way of cooking outdoors when you are camping. For most South Africans an invitation to potjiekos (food cooked in a potjie) promises a relaxing time of cheerful chatting by the fire, often in a beautiful surrounding, while mouth-watering flavours of stews or curries emerge from the potjie.

Cooking in a potjie usually takes a little longer than on the conventional electric stove but the result is clearly worth waiting for!

It used to be necessary to let the potjie burn on the inside before using it for the first time. However, this is no longer required!
Now the potjie is pre-cured, which means that you only have to clean it, grease it, and heat it up with oil before you start cooking in it.

Do this before you use your potjie for the first time:

1. Fill the potjie with boiling water and wash it inside with dishwashing liquid. Don’t forget the lid!
2. Dry the potjie and lid carefully with a clean cloth.
3. Grease the potjie and lid with cooking oil.
4. Heat up the potjie and lid over the hot coals, until the oil is sufficiently warm and starts to smoke a little.
5. Now your potjie is ready to be used!

Cooking in a potjie is easy! When you cook, place hot coals under and around the pot. You can regulate the heat by moving coals closer to or further away. Listen to the sound of your potjie! If from 2 meters away can you still hear a loud bubbling sound, the heat is too high. If you barely can hear a soft simmer, the temperature is right. It is advisable to keep a fire going on the side, so that you can get new hot coals all the time.

It is surprisingly easy to clean a potjie. The inside: Fill it with warm water and let it soak for a while and rinse with warm water. If you do not use dishwashing liquid, your potjie will with time develop a very personal flavor.

Dry carefully and apply a thin layer of cooking oil to protect the inside of the potjie until next time. The outside: If you want to avoid heavy soot on the outside (not really a problem), try covering the pot with a thin spread of dishwashing liquid. This will help rinsing off the soot.