Peruvian Roasting Pot

This 1980s clay roasting pot comes from the Peruvian town of Juliaca in the Mantaro Valley, which is known for pottery produced by the Wanka, an ethnic group living in the region.

The Wanka mostly use cooking utensils made of clay. They prefer them to metal utensils, which are more expensive and difficult to produce. Generally speaking, every Wanka kitchen has three kinds of ceramic cooking vessels: the olla, a pot for boiling vegetables, meat and starchy foods; the chata, a frying pan; and, last not least, a roasting pot for grains such as corn or cereals like quinoa. This utensil, called a tostadera in Spanish and kallana in Quechua, is a round clay pot with an oval side opening and a handle at the top. The cereal is put inside the pot that is placed directly on the fire. Crunchy roasted corn kernels called cancha are made in the tostadera and are a very popular snack in the Andes.