REGIONAL PRODUCTS | HANDICRAFT Bisalhães Pottery
14-05-2011 19:08
The black clay of Bisalhães (in the surroundings of Vila Real) has a specific treatment technique. After being crushed, the clay is placed in a threshing floor, where it will dry in the sun. It is then transported to stone cellars. Finally, the clay is crushed, turned into dust and mashed with water. There are several pottery types: “churra” (rough, black and with no glow), “gogada” or “luxury pottery” (refined and flawless). There are also miniatures. What makes the clay black is the firing process. Pottery is fired in the so-called “soenga”, an oven excavated in the floor. Still on fire, the clay is covered by moss and black earth, reaching its final appearance.
VIDEO OF THE MAKING OF THIS POTTERY