Why is the “dutch oven” called the “dutch oven”?
According to Ragsdale the name Dutch Oven has been applied to a variety of cooking pots, kettles, and ovens over the years. The origin of the name, “Dutch Oven”, is uncertain but Ragsdale suggests a few theories. 1. In 1704 a man by the name of Abraham Darby traveled from England to Holland to inspect a Dutch casting process by which brass vessels where cast in dry sand molds. Upon returning to England Darby experimented with the process and eventually patented a casting process using a better type of molding sand as well as a process of baking the mold to improve casting smoothness. Darby eventually began casting pots and shipping them to the new colonies and throughout the world. Ragsdale suggests that the name “Dutch Oven” may have derived from the original Dutch process for casting metal pots. 2. Others have suggested that early Dutch traders or salesmen peddling cast iron pots may have given rise to the name “Dutch Oven”. 3. Still others believe that the name came from Dutch settl
