Bogrács Kettle. Magellan / wikimedia / 2009 / CC BY 3.0
Bogrács kettles are Hungarian kettles that are completely open and have no cover.
The term is translated into English variously as “kettle“, “cauldron”, “stew-pot”, etc.
Traditionally, bogrács kettles are used for goulash and “pörkölt.”
Many modern ones are slightly flared out at their top rims, and wider at their mouths than at their bottoms. Some, though, have straight sides, and some even curve in towards the top.
All have attached to them a bail handle, which is used to hang the kettle in the centre of a tripod over a fire which has been allowed to burn down to coals. In place of a tripod, you can hang it from a “beam” mounted over the fire, or a sturdy branch held up by two other branches stuck in the ground.
Alternatively, if you’re cooking with several bogrács kettles at once for a very large group, their handles can go over a log held up in some fashion.
To Hungarians, bogrács kettles symbolize group activity and meals outdoors, the centre of many relaxed gatherings. In a way, they are sort of Hungary’s equivalent of gatherings round the barbeque pit in the southern U.S.
Most bogrács kettles are made of iron, but you can also get stainless steel ones. They come in various sizes — starting from large.
Some towns even have a huge one for special fair days, big enough for 10 or 20 people to stand up in.
Language Notes
Pronounced “beau gratch.”
Bogrács Kettle. Lily15 / wikimedia / 2007 / CC BY-SA 3.0
Bogrács Kettle. Anna Armbrust / Pixabay.com / 2016 / CC0 1.0