THE CLAY POT

Called in dialect pignete (clay pot) this object was never absent in the houses of the inhabitants of Fallo.

Its usual location was the fireplace: near each hearth there was a boiling pot. It was used for the preparation of food that required a long cooking period, such as beans, dry fava beans, chickpeas, etc. Because of its constant contact with fire, it quickly became black with soot, but it could still be used until some "domestic accident" rendered it completely useless.

In the olden days with the saying "si nin è rutte è ciavucuate lu pignate" (if the pot is not broken, it leaks) it was customarily described anything that could no longer serve for its original use.

The hearth, we remember well, was the focal place of family reunions, and certainly more so if near the fire there was also a pot with its inviting gurgle.