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By Tiago Reis, co-founder of Ra-Ro · View profile
About 3 min read
Some objects you understand with your eyes and others only with your nose. A chestnut roaster is one of the latter. You only have to picture it on the fire, on a November night, with friends around, to understand why it stuck in my head.
The Chestnut Roaster is a black clay roaster made by hand by César Teixeira and his son João, in Gondar, in the municipality of Amarante, in the Minho, and fired by soenga, the open-air firing that gives the clay its dark colour.
What is soenga?
Soenga is an open-air clay firing, done in a pit, in which the flames reach around 1000 °C and the black smoke soaks into the pieces. It is said to have been invented by the potters of Gondar in the early 17th century. Ordinary clay is fired. The black clay of Gondar, they say there, is forged.
This part fascinates me. The black isn't paint, it's smoke trapped in the clay. And for that very reason, no two pieces are alike.
Who makes it
César Teixeira and his son João are among the last people who still do soenga. It's hard to write that sentence without a lump in the throat. A technique more than four centuries old now depends, in practice, on one family in Gondar.
And yet what they make isn't a museum object. It's a roaster to be used. Practical and decorative, depending on the taste of whoever takes it home. I really love this: the tradition doesn't stay in a display case, it goes on the fire.
Low wheel, fire and patience
Gondar's black clay isn't made in the fire alone. Before the soenga comes the shape, modelled by hand, with time, by people who learned the technique in Gondar. César Teixeira and João make it in the village where the technique has always lived. It's that continuity, from father to son, that moves me more than any number.
The roaster comes in parts, as you can see in the photos. Lid, body, base. Each from the same fire, each with its own shade of black, a little more matte here, a little deeper there. Nobody can fully control that. And thank goodness.
There's a saying repeated in Gondar that has stayed with me: ordinary clay is fired, black clay is forged. I don't know if it's accurate. I know it's true when you hold one of these pieces in your hand.
So what is it for?
For roasting chestnuts, of course. But also for everything that comes with them: the table, friends, the conversation that stretches on, life when the sun goes down. It's the right object for autumn.
Next time someone brings chestnuts, it's worth remembering where that black comes from. It comes from the fire of Gondar, and from the hands of those who still know how to light it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Black Clay Chestnut Roaster?
It's a chestnut roaster made by hand in black clay, in Gondar, Amarante, and fired by soenga. It can be used to roast chestnuts or as a decorative piece.
Who makes this piece?
César Teixeira and his son João, in Gondar, in the Minho. They are among the last craftsmen who still practise soenga.
What is soenga?
It's an open-air clay firing, in a pit, in which the fire reaches around 1000 °C and the black smoke soaks into the pieces, giving them their dark colour.
Why is the clay black?
The colour comes from the soenga smoke, which gets trapped in the clay during firing. It isn't paint or glaze.
Why is it a rare piece?
Soenga now depends on very few hands, and every firing is different, so no two pieces are alike.
