Page 39 - Hrobat Virloget, Katja, et al., eds. (2015). Stone narratives: heritage, mobility, performance. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 39
fireplaces in the vipava valley
For preparing of food, drinking, washing of food and dishes, there had to be suffi-
cient water supply in the kitchen provided from wells, spring water reservoirs or rainwater
tanks. Water was kept in buckets or pails on a sill in a wall niche, on consoles or on a wood-
en shelf in the kitchen, hall or special room for washing and storing dishes called vidrnik
or šeglar. Because of heavy work of hauling the water for the household and also because
of occasional summer drought, people were extremely frugal with water. Large quantities
of water for cooking and washing laundry and dishes were heated in cauldrons; later, wa-
ter was heated in special walled-in cauldrons intended primarily for preparing food for pigs
(Šarf, 1958a, p. 6, 22).
In addition to the above-mentioned tasks, other household chores took place on or at
the fireplace daily or several times a week: crushing of coffee beans, pepper, dried figs, corn
and horseradish with a metal pestle in stone, wooden or brass mortars, grinding of coffee
beans and pepper in wooden or brass grinders, removing corn kernels from the cob with an
empty cob or with an iron device, husking of barley in small mortars, kneading of dough
for flat bread for the times of extensive farmwork, frying of farinaceous food for special oc-
casions, making of butter, curdling and souring of milk, etc. (Budal, 1993, p. 68; Šarf, 1958a,
pp. 3–4, 16–17, 34; 1958b, p. 24). Occasionally, they also prepared stores for the winter in
the kitchen. Preparation of sufficient quantity of sour cabbage and turnip in autumn was
extremely important. In woven bowls or on woven boards placed in the hood on wooden
bars, they would dry fruit (apple and pear slices, plums, walnuts, figs) and herbs for mak-
ing tea and coffee, but most of all, they would smoke meat products there, such as sausages,
ham (prosciutto) and bacon. Meat was smoked only in the Upper Vipava Valley, while it was
usually only dried in the Lower Vipava Valley. The last preserved fireplaces which were still
in use were considered highly valuable just because of smoking and drying of meat in the
Figure 2: Illustration of a fireplace in the monthly Družina (Besednjak, 1929, p. 47).
37
For preparing of food, drinking, washing of food and dishes, there had to be suffi-
cient water supply in the kitchen provided from wells, spring water reservoirs or rainwater
tanks. Water was kept in buckets or pails on a sill in a wall niche, on consoles or on a wood-
en shelf in the kitchen, hall or special room for washing and storing dishes called vidrnik
or šeglar. Because of heavy work of hauling the water for the household and also because
of occasional summer drought, people were extremely frugal with water. Large quantities
of water for cooking and washing laundry and dishes were heated in cauldrons; later, wa-
ter was heated in special walled-in cauldrons intended primarily for preparing food for pigs
(Šarf, 1958a, p. 6, 22).
In addition to the above-mentioned tasks, other household chores took place on or at
the fireplace daily or several times a week: crushing of coffee beans, pepper, dried figs, corn
and horseradish with a metal pestle in stone, wooden or brass mortars, grinding of coffee
beans and pepper in wooden or brass grinders, removing corn kernels from the cob with an
empty cob or with an iron device, husking of barley in small mortars, kneading of dough
for flat bread for the times of extensive farmwork, frying of farinaceous food for special oc-
casions, making of butter, curdling and souring of milk, etc. (Budal, 1993, p. 68; Šarf, 1958a,
pp. 3–4, 16–17, 34; 1958b, p. 24). Occasionally, they also prepared stores for the winter in
the kitchen. Preparation of sufficient quantity of sour cabbage and turnip in autumn was
extremely important. In woven bowls or on woven boards placed in the hood on wooden
bars, they would dry fruit (apple and pear slices, plums, walnuts, figs) and herbs for mak-
ing tea and coffee, but most of all, they would smoke meat products there, such as sausages,
ham (prosciutto) and bacon. Meat was smoked only in the Upper Vipava Valley, while it was
usually only dried in the Lower Vipava Valley. The last preserved fireplaces which were still
in use were considered highly valuable just because of smoking and drying of meat in the
Figure 2: Illustration of a fireplace in the monthly Družina (Besednjak, 1929, p. 47).
37
