A Brief Walk Through the History of Cast Iron Cookware
This is part 6 of a 7 part series on my exploration of past-iron. Its best to read them in order:
Part 1: Return of the Cast Iron Cookware
Part 2: The Search for Cast Iron Knowledge
Part 3: A Steak Pun is a Medium Well Done
Part 4: Rare Stake or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cast Iron
Part 5: Cast Iron Politics?
Part 6: A Brief Walk Through the History of Cast Iron Cookware
Part 7: Heritage
I’ve alluded to it before, but cast-iron has a long history. Just like any craft, honestly. And in order to fully appreciate something, it is important to know its history. Therefore, I’m going to walk you through a very brief history of cast iron, which should allow all of us to better understand its role in cooking.
Cast iron cookware was first used in China, a couple thousand years ago. The Chinese were the first ones that invented casting iron, and it just made sense to make cookware that way. Essentially, they poured molten iron into a mold, and mixed it with a few other things to make it even sturdier. The Dutch Oven became popular during the 16th Century in Europe, thanks to its ease of use and quick heating abilities. Many cast iron pots made it to the Americas following colonization. Cast iron cookware really took off in Europe after 1707, when Abraham Darby patented his idea of creating sand casting iron pots. This led to a large growth of all kinds of new cookware.
Thanks to its ruggedness and ease of use and manufacturing, cast iron became very popular throughout the world. A good cast-iron cookware could last a family years. However, by the 20th Century, with all kinds of new cookware with plastics, stainless steel, and aluminum coming about, cast iron started dropping off. ’50s American housewives wanted the brand new fad rather than the traditional cast iron.
Nevertheless, cast-iron proved just as resilient in the people’s minds as it did on the stove. As I pointed out in part 1 of this saga, cast iron has seen a resurgence in recent years. It is now hip again to use cast iron, which is a good thing because it cooks great!
