A pot of rasam needs little introduction in a South Indian kitchen, but the vessel in which it is cooked has a story of its own. Traditionally, an iya chombu, a narrow-necked tin vessel, was used to prepare the tangy, peppery broth, its shape helping prevent the liquid from frothing over. Kuḷambu, a thick gravy of tamarind and spices, called for a wide-mouthed pot that allowed it to simmer gently, while payasam was often cooked in a heavy bell-metal uruli that retained heat long after it was taken off the fire. These were not interchangeable kitchen tools. Each vessel had a purpose, shaped by the demands of a particular dish and the knowledge of those who prepared it. Together, they reveal a time when the Indian kitchen was organised not just around ingredients and recipes, but around the vessels that gave them form.
A Vessel For Every Dish
In traditional Indian kitchens, “Shapes and materials were chosen according to the kind of food being prepared,” writes Prema Srinivasan in her book, “Pure Vegetarian”. It might seem like a simple observation, but it opens up a larger story about Indian food culture. Long before cookware became a question of convenience, aesthetics or the latest kitchen trend, it was closely tied to the everyday business of making a meal.
Srinivasan’s account offers a glimpse into the ingenuity that went into these everyday objects. South Indian kitchens had an assortment of brass and bronze vessels, from the bhogini, a wide-mouthed pot used for liquid sweets, to the chintamani, a rounded container with a button-like handle on its lid. There were different vessels for steaming idlis, frying dosais, seasoning spices and serving everything from rice to ghee. In northern kitchens, straight-sided patilas and curved dekchis and lotas had their own place.
The clay pot was among the earliest cooking vessels, and its association with food continues in ceremonial cooking. During Pongal, the south Indian harvest festival, rice and dal are still traditionally cooked in a new earthen pot bought for the occasion. The vessel is part of the ritual, not merely a means of preparing the dish. Elsewhere in the kitchen, the heavy soapstone kalchatti was used for rasam, sambar and kuḷambu, while the iron griddle turned out dosais as soft or crisp as the cook desired. Each object belonged to a particular rhythm of cooking, shaped by ingredients, fire and habit.
The Social Life Of Utensils
The vessels also tell us something about how food was prepared before the modern kitchen became familiar. Cooking over firewood demanded equipment suited to the heat, while the size of a household often determined the scale of its pots. Srinivasan recalls the large bell-metal vārppu, fitted with ears through which bamboo poles could be inserted to carry it. It took four people to transport the vessel, while two others could serve food from either side. The image is a reminder that cooking for a crowd once required not just a recipe, but an entire arrangement of people and equipment.
A large vessel was not necessarily meant for one household alone. Many landowning families owned brass vessels for weddings and other family functions held at home. Relatives and friends borrowed them for their own celebrations. In this exchange, kitchenware moved between homes just as food did, becoming part of the social life surrounding a meal.
The same connection between craft and community can be seen among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru in Punjab. Their traditional metalworking involves shaping brass, copper and certain alloys into utensils through careful hammering and heating. The craft, recognised by UNESCO in 2014 as intangible cultural heritage, is more than a means of earning a livelihood. It is tied to the community’s family structures, working traditions and social identity. The utensils that emerge from this process are the finished products of knowledge passed down through generations.
The Shift To Stainless Steel
The transition to stainless steel around the 1950s changed this material world. Traditional brass and copper vessels needed regular care, and those used for cooking certain foods required tinning to prevent reactions with acidic ingredients. Kalai workers once visited households to renew the worn lining. Heavy bell-metal vessels demanded space, while stone and iron cookware needed careful handling and maintenance. Stainless steel, by comparison, was lighter and easier to keep clean.
However, not every older form has the same story. Traditional shapes, including urulis, rice pots and idli steamers, continue to be made in newer materials. Some utensils have survived because the dishes associated with them remain part of everyday cooking; others have acquired new meanings as heirlooms or objects of interest to contemporary cooks. In recent years, chefs and kitchenware makers have also drawn attention to traditional tools such as the sil-batta, the cast-iron kadai and the soapstone pot. Their appeal lies not only in appearance, but in the techniques and habits they bring back into the kitchen.
In Ahmedabad, the Vechaar Utensils Museum preserves this material history. Established three years after the Vishalla cultural complex opened in 1981, it houses an extensive collection of old utensils, brought together with the support of anthropologist Jyotindra Jain. The collection offers a glimpse of the ingenuity once invested in objects that were used every day and seldom thought of as heritage.
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