Clibanus / Testum Pre-Order

***This item is made to order, and we will dispatch it as soon as we have handcrafted it for you; this usually takes 60 days, but international orders can take a little longer ***

Details
Feeding an army can be a real challenge.  The Romans dealt with this by making each soldier responsible for their own rations  and each "contubernium" or group of soldiers living in the same tent would share a basic kit of cooking utensils.  One of the utensils that would have been of great use would have been a clibanus or testum, a portable oven which could be used to bake bread.

Having been gently warmed by the fire to avoid thermal shock, the oven would then be placed in the embers, with your bread inside,  hot coals would then have been placed on top of the lid.  It would then be left to bake for around 30 minutes, and it really does bake beautiful bread.  

***This item is extremely popular and tends to sell out very quickly.  If this item is out of stock and you would like one, please sign up to our Stock Enquiry waiting list so we can add your request to our making list.   Sign up here  

Materials

Terracotta

Dimensions

Approx. 200 mm tall, 290 mm diameter

Production

This replica Roman pot has been hand made in Northumberland by Potted History, based on an original artefact.  It has been fired to emulate the authentic Roman firing conditions, to a temperature of between 800°C & 1000°C, as the original potters would have done nearly two thousand years ago. This process often results in variations of the surface colour and texture, as is found with original Roman Pottery and giving each pot its unique character.

Health and Safety

This is a Museum Quality Replica made using the tools and techniques that would have been used during the Roman era.  As this is an unglazed pot with a porous surface it will absorb some of the flavours during the cooking process, which does add to the flavour of future dishes. However, it does also mean that this pot does not meet modern Health and Safety standards and therefore we do not advise that it is used for cooking with.  When the Romans cooked in these pots they would rely on applying sufficient heat to the pot and contents to ensure that all bacteria was killed. Heating to over 70°C for at least 10 minutes would have killed most disease causing bacteria and temperatures of 100°C would do even more. 

Postage
All items are sent using a second class postal service, if you wish to have an item sent first class please contact my for a quote. Many Thanks