Reham Khaduj, from Sheikh Badr, Tartous countryside, preserved the folklore that she inherited from her predecessors and transformed the manufacture of pottery pans from an industry that bears the spirit of nature, into a small enterprise that supports her and her family.
Khadouj has been making pottery pans for more than 10 years with the help of her mother, Hiam Dayoup, to secure financial returns at low costs and by using simple materials derived from natural resources such as water, soil and salt stone.
About the mechanism of making pottery fried, known as a cooking vessel since 8 centuries, Khadouj explained to SANA reporter that “pottery pans’ making requires a special type of soil that is soaked in water, then we bring a crystal stone that we pulverize and grind to obtain a fine white powder that is added to the mixture to give it cohesion and strength. Then we pulverize the mixture after spraying the salt powder on it and knead the mixture, then put it on a wooden base to make a deep cavity. Thus, the stage of rotating the fried begins and the mixture takes the shape of the bowl”.
Khadouj explained that “the next stage is the grilling stage, which aims to make the pan smooth, then the fried is placed in the shade until it dries, and then the grilling stage begins, so the fried is placed in the oven until it acquires a red color, then lifted and covered with oak paper and rubbed with a piece cloth to soften and made ready for use”.
As for the marketing mechanism, Khaduj sells them in large quantities to merchants directly. The merchant, Ismail Badr, owner of a shop selling pottery and household utensils, explained that he buys pottery pans of different types and sizes to market them in the neighboring countries “Lebanon and Iraq,” referring to the great demand for buying these pots, where citizens and foreigners prefer acquisition of pottery utensils and focus on pottery artifacts.
Mrs. Amal Ibrahim explained that cooking in pottery frying adds a special flavor to the food, in addition to the fact that vegetables retain their coherent shape and texture compared to other pots. As for Heba Salman, she chose pottery wares for cooking, as she noticed that food retained its nutrients because it does not need a long period of time for cooking in these completely healthy and natural wares.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)