Cooking pot with bat handles 2015

Since the introduction of more robust and convenient aluminium cooking utensils into Papua New Guinea in the nineteenth century, the use of clay cooking pots is slowly becoming less prevalent. However, for those of Gole’s generation, many recall the taste of food cooked in a clay pot to be far better to those in aluminium. Often these clay cooking pots would be used over an open fire, bringing quite an earthy taste to meals. One way of cooking in a clay pot is to follow a similar foundation to a mumu or hungi (as it is referred to in Aotearoa New Zealand) or a Fijian lovo. A package of ingredients like chicken, sago and vegetables is wrapped in banana leaves after being seasoned and drenched in coconut milk. The banana leaf package is then placed inside the cooking pot over an open fire. The package roasts quickly and, when unwrapped, reveals a beautiful smoky meal for the whole family.