Introduction

I’m not quite sure how it happened that I became a clay pot “junkie.” At age nineteen I bought my first clay pot, a beautiful, potbellied tripière, used for cooking tripe. I had as yet no idea what tripe was and chose the vessel solely for its looks. Thus began a collection that grew exponentially through the years— enlarged by my travels and culinary adventures. Perhaps it was the different shapes and sizes, the colors and glazes, the myriad variations on primal shapes that attracted me. Or perhaps it was just that earthenware produced such great-tasting food.