Fire Pot
Display: Global Gastronomy
Culinary Technique: heat transfer
Date: 20th Century
Location: Taiwan
Much like a fondue pot, such traditional tabletop cookware still brings people together around a fire. Burning charcoal in the base heats the liquid in the copper bowl that fits over the chimney. Diners share stews or soups, or, holding chopsticks, plunge thinly sliced food into hot broth, cooking it quickly. A brass cone caps the chimney, controlling the temperature by limiting the flow of oxygen. The label on this copper pot and the one beside it reveal that they share an origin. The style of the Chinese characters indicates the items date sometime between 1946 and 1965 and come from Tian Jin New Kee in Taipei City, Taiwan.