Clay kiln is the distinctive character of the Iraqi countryside, the tool that was and still indispensable for the families living in the countryside, as women are accustomed since a long time to its use for baking, and with the development of life and its extended urbanization, the kiln preserved its presence, for it carries the fragrance of countryside and the Iraqi salt sense of taste, but it has become more firm in late years due to scarcity of gas and oil which makes it difficult for woman in town, in particular, to use the iron kiln named "steel kiln" or "gas kiln".
Um Walid, who is engaged in the making of clay kilns with the aim to sell them and find a resource for her family, said that "clay kiln is made usually of clean pure clay, after it is mixed with a little of straw or sometimes animals hair to strengthen it and get stuck together", and indicated that the phase of work starts by laying the groundwork on a flat and clean land, where its height is about one span of the hand (20cm) approx., where it is left for the next day to dry and cohere, however, the process of building the kiln is done in cylindrical form, wide at the bottom and narrows up towards the top, and a small hole is made on its bottom side for setting the fire known as "Alkhanara" which is good for ventilation as well"
Um Walid added also that "the kiln when complete will be placed on a suitable spot, often away from home or on any isolated spot so that the smoke will not annoy family members", pointing out that "clay kiln was and still the tool indispensable to rural people, among its features is that the fuel used therein could be wood or palm carpel or any other kind of firewood, however, the kiln has other accessories including, "skewer" an iron slender rod used to turn over the hot coal, "Almasha" is also an iron rod of lesser thickness used to take out the bread, "Alwasha" a damp piece of cloth to clean the inside surface of kiln from the bread that burns and may stick to it, in addition to a dish beside it where bread is stacked up, and "pillow" used to spread the loaf thereon before placing it inside the kiln".
For her part, Jamila Hadi Balout said that "the majority of women regard the presence of kiln as a good omen in their houses, and some even view it with awe and respect and thus name it "kiln of Zahra" for being pure and generous always, however, women fear the demolition of kiln when it turns old or the family migrates from one place to another, but keep it as it is to remain as a relic in the place".
Jamila explained also that the profession of kilns making has flourished recently and become a resource for some families with no other resource, where they make kilns and sell them at affordable prices ranging between ID15,000 to 25,000, a reasonable sum of money that can be a resource for the unemployed women or those lacking a breadwinner. Moreover, she noted that among the features of this kiln is that it does not pose a danger like gas oven which can cause disasters due to gas leakage from it, it is safer than the second oven.
Hajj Warda Ghasheem Shakban said that there is some larger kiln, the one used by bakers in cities, this type has been in circulation recently after its common use especially in recent years, as the majority of families have turned to buying bread from these bakers, the advantage of this type is that it uses oil to set on its fire, and does not rely on wood used in the typical clay kiln, the other important advantage related to its use where the baker is a man in this case, not a woman by no means, and the owner of this sort of kilns, known as "bakery", has to obtain a license from the Ministry of Trade and approvals from other departments in order to open the bakery, previously the Ministry used to cater flour substance but the issue is different today, bakery owner has to buy the flour from the local market, but he has to obtain oil from the concerned departments subject to approvals of the municipal councils.
She also hinted that there are circulating sayings popular among the Iraqis all of them are related to bread and kiln, including "Hungary man does not avail of kiln trees", "light came out of kiln", "your kiln brings forth your fire and your visitors brings you good news", "unbaked bread is indigestible", "your bread is baked and your water in the jug", and "give the bread dough to the baker even if he eats half of it".
Source: Mawtani.com
