If you cook at the campfire, you may already have your favorite, go-to Dutch oven recipes – but do you know where the Dutch oven came from?
Dutch Ovens: Started by the . . . Dutch
The Dutch oven has a history dating back hundreds of years. The Dutch were recognized leaders in the material casting industry during the 18th century, especially when it came to the creation of pots and kettles. They developed a more efficient method for producing these items by using dry sand molds. It was this innovative process that led to the creation of the Dutch oven.
The design of the Dutch oven was brought to England by Abraham Darby in the early 1700s. Darby observed the Dutch method for making these pots and decided to patent a similar technique in England. He also made several improvements on the original design.
The Dutch Oven Arrives in America
During the colonial period, settlers brought the Dutch oven to North America, where it quickly gained popularity due to its versatility and durability. Settlers used the Dutch oven not only for cooking but also for baking and boiling.
During the colonial era, settlers continued to innovate on the Dutch oven design. American frontier legends like Lewis and Clark and Paul Revere popularized the cooking tool. Revere added legs to his ovens to elevate the pots off the ground. Lewis and Clark carried Dutch ovens on their expeditions through the American West.
As the westward expansion happened, the ovens became valuable tools for homesteaders, miners, and ranchers on the frontier, able to withstand the challenges of travel and outdoor living.
In 1896, Joseph Lodge established an iron foundry in Tennessee where the Lodge Company still crafts their renowned cast iron Dutch ovens today, keeping the historic cooking vessel in production for over a century.
While its design has been adapted and modified over the years, the basic concept remains. Campers, home cooks and chefs commonly use Dutch ovens, or variants of them, for everything from sourdough bread to campfire cookouts across the U.S., Canada, Australia, Russia and South Africa.
Here are some of our favorite Dutch oven recipes.
