Pottery used in food preparation and presentation can be traced back to the world’s earliest civilizations, showing us that people have gathered around food for nearly as long as they’ve had the fire to cook it. And when these items—bowls, baking dishes, serving vessels—appear on our tables today, they bring this legacy with them.
Twenty-thousand-year-old shards of clay pots have been unearthed in China. In excavating Pompeii, archaeologists discovered kilns full of unfired terra-cotta vases beneath mountains of ash. Ceramic cooking tools found in modern-day Ecuador dating to the fifth millennium BCE are some of the only remaining traces of a forgotten ancient society. Like those artifacts, the five culinary tools from around the globe seen here tell the stories of the makers who are ushering their heritage cooking traditions into the modern era.
Kyūsu, Japan
Japanese kyūsu (teapot) artist Taisuke Shiraiwa honed his skills on the pottery wheel under the mentorship of master craftsman Konishi Yohei in Tokoname, Japan, a storied ceramics town. Wood-fired and salt-glazed, the teapots he created for New York City’s Tea Dealers radiate colors like lavender blush, sea foam, and volcanic ash; details such as flowerlike caps and fiddlehead‑curved ushirode handles meanwhile anchor the work in nature’s whimsical forms. Ideal for delicate loose-leaf brewing (such as gyokuro), each teapot has a small 100-to-200-milliliter capacity that prevents over-steeping and allows for rich infusions, each brew better than the last. (Yaki Shime Teapot, $350; teadealers.com) —Ingu Chen
Barro Rojo Comal, Mexico
“In my family, we say the border crossed us,” says Trevor Baca, photographer and founder of the Mexican ingredient and supply import shop Poctli. His ancestors moved from Mexico City into Chihuahua and then farther north to New Mexico, where his grandfather was born and raised. A culinary school grad, Baca connected with his family history by traveling to Mexico and exploring the culinary landscape, where the comal is ubiquitous. “When you cook on a comal and flip the tortilla, it brings me back. It reminds me of my grandma,” Baca says. The earthenware comals that he now imports from a community in San Marcos Tlapazola, Oaxaca, called mujeres de barro rojo (“women of the red clay”) are burnished but left unglazed so the clay’s bold natural sienna color remains the star. “I wanted to see if there were other Mexican Americans like me looking to get back to their roots through this ancestral way of cooking,” he says. “When I use a comal to roast the chiles, it makes the meal taste better—because of all the love I put into it.” (Clay Comal, $75; poctli.com) —Abbey Stone
Plovnik, Ukraine
“In Ukraine, they say bread is the head of everything,” says ceramist Serhii Martynko, who fought on the front lines of Ukraine's war with Russia following Russia's invasion in 2022. Though Martynko relocated to the United States following his military discharge, his pottery shop still operates from Dnipro, Ukraine. His red clay cookery channels ancient pottery used to bake sourdough in wood-fired ovens by the Trypillian people who lived in the region millennia ago. All his ceramics are both useful and deeply personal. “Working with clay is a kind of meditation,” he says, “where you sit at the potter’s wheel with your thoughts.” (Homemade Ceramic Cooking Pot, $106; clayproductsshop.com) —Noah Kaufman
Cuán Hé, China
This lustrous, oxblood-hued Togetherness Tray (cuán hé) is made to hold the nuts, candied fruits, and sweets offered to guests during Lunar New Year festivities. Mei Lum, fifth‑generation owner of Wing On Wo & Co., a general store turned porcelain specialty shop in New York's Chinatown, commissioned the tray from Brooklyn-based artist Tiffany Saw. Saw crafted the original piece by hand before sending it to be replicated by artisans in the world’s “Porcelain Capital,” Jingdezhen, China. The centerpiece, adorned with plump peaches and a full moon, blends an American style of clay-throwing with carving techniques Saw learned in Jingdezhen. “Many have told us that this is an heirloom that they intend to pass down, which speaks to Tiff’s craft and precision and the timelessness of the piece itself,” Lum says. (Tiffany Saw Togetherness Tray, $325; wingonwoand.co) —I.C.
Majolica Zuppiera, Italy
Intricately sculpted leaves and a stem of blooming tulips, hand-painted in shades of tangerine, golden yellow, and moss green with the care of an Impressionist artist, exemplify the exquisite craftsmanship that’s given Italian heritage ceramics atelier Fioravola (founded in 1897 in Nove, Italy) its staying power. This vintage tureen was acquired and restored by the online shop Abask, which is known for a commitment to excellence thanks to owners Tom Chapman and Nicolas Pickaerts. Their artful curation includes fine objects sourced from over 350 specialty makers of past and present. (Fioravola Tulips Tureen, $700; abask.com) —A.S.
Tajine Goutte, Morocco
The Moroccan pottery maison Poterie Serghini (located in Casablanca) has changed hands through eight generations of the Serghini line since its founding in 1832. It’s currently run by Younes and Aziza Serghini, who took the helm in 2002. The operation’s artisans create ceramic masterpieces as well as functional cookware—which are no less beautiful. This clay tajine goutte (French for “drop”) is used for serving the rich, savory, stewy dish of the same name. (Oval Tagine, $65; https://poterieserghini.com) —A.S.