What on earth is a cazuela?

This is an enameled cast iron cazuela.

What on earth is a cazuela? It sure looks like a pot to me. Well, it is a pot.

It's a mexican cooking pot which resembles a flared bowl, and is traditionally made from clay. Most of them do not have lids, but this one does.

Cazuela is spanish for casserole, so it's essentially a casserole dish.

It's used for making various mexican dishes such as mole and pipian, and mexican casseroles.

In Spain, it's historically been used for cocina pobre, or "poor cooking". In other words, one pot meals, or casseroles, common during hard economic times.

If you don't have a cazuela, not to worry; Any of the above can be made in a cast iron pot.

Rick Bayless is a chef who strives to promote Mexican cuisine in the US, and this is one of his products.

This cazuela is enameled; There are no cazuelas in traditional cast iron, but there are cast iron pots.