Ecology of knowledge. Estate: For country houses and dachas, Pompeikas are no longer new - they are built both with the help of specialists and with their own hands, with the complex goal of preparing healthy, tasty and original food, saving energy resources, and at the same time purchasing an exclusive landscape structure that decorates the site, creative and stylish.
According to historians, the birthplace of Pompeii ovens is the Iberian Peninsula, and they were invented in ancient times in order to cook open pies with various fillings and always with a top layer of cheese. There was no need to heat houses in hot climates, and the design of the Pompeian stove was thought out to ensure rapid heating and long-term retention of heat inside the stove. The internal structure of the stove is special and is unlike any other type of stove.
The variety of stoves made of brick, clay and stone, their designs, purposes, shapes and sizes is a subject for study, even superficial, for more than one year. But many heating engineers and practical stove makers consider the Pompeii stove to be a completely unique invention.
For country houses and dachas, Pompeiks are no longer news - they are built both with the involvement of specialists and with their own hands, with the complex goal of preparing healthy, tasty and original food, saving energy resources, and at the same time purchasing an exclusive landscape structure that decorates the site, creative and stylish.
On the design features of Pompeian furnaces
A standard pompeii is built in compliance with certain proportions, which are mandatory regardless of the shape, size and external decoration of the structure. One of the main regularities is that the total height of the furnace dome is twice the height of the entrance. Optimization of the furnace operating process and thermal cycle, correct draft and minimization of heat losses directly depend on compliance with this proportion.
The Pompeian stove has many names - it is called Italian and Neapolitan, and also tandoor, although the latter name is considered controversial by stove makers - it is a bit of a different heating technology. But it’s not the name that matters - Pompeii have taken root in various climates and are considered ideal for baking - not only pizza, but also bread, flatbreads, and pies in Pompeik are amazing.
Pompeian stoves are often built not separately, but next to gazebos or other appliances - barbecues, tandoors and barbecues.
This complex serves both practical purposes of cooking, and an area for relaxation, entertainment and receiving guests, a cozy family corner in the fresh air.
It is somewhat easier to build a Pompeian stove on the street, in terms of the foundation and chimney. Pompeian stoves are also built in the house, although this requires a slightly different technical approach - smoke removal is a very important aspect, and the installation of a support for a heavy stone stove in an already built house requires calculation and examination of the existing foundation and the characteristics of the soil under the house.
But all options for constructing a reliable and high-quality Pompeian stove of the classical type are complex and very labor-intensive, and also require financial investment.
The designs of the Pompeii and classic Russian ovens have common features, but the heating of the Pompeii is much faster - bread can be baked literally within half an hour after heating; for a Russian oven this interval is ten times longer.
The reason for such a global difference in heating parameters is the difference in the thermal masses of the furnaces, that is, the design. The Pompeian stove should heat only one row of bricks, laid in a bed and equal to 120 mm.
Three quarters of an hour after that. As soon as the Pompeian oven is lit, the temperature inside it is already about 250 degrees, after another fifteen minutes - more than 350 degrees - these indicators of the thermal cycle are unique.
The distribution of heat in the Pompeii stove is also unique thanks to its special dome design:
- Inside the dome it is faster - after half an hour it is over 300 degrees, and after another quarter of an hour - 360 degrees and remains constant until the end of the cycle, and then the cooling is very slow.
- In the outer part of the dome, the temperature rises much more slowly, but after an hour it reaches the same value as inside the dome, and then remains constant throughout the thermal cycle.
The main feature and main advantage of the Pompeii oven is the ability to cook various dishes in a short time, since the heating under the arch is very strong - the baked goods are ready very quickly, and the light aroma of smoke adds piquancy.
About the operating principle of the Pompeii stove
The efficient operation of the furnace is based on its design features. In the process of burning wood under the roof of the stove, differently directed flows of hot gas arise:
- Convection heat flows come from the combustion compartment
- Reflected heat flows come from the walls of the vault
In this case, spontaneous temperature regulation occurs due to the organized movement of cold and hot flow.
During the combustion process, the wood pile flares up gradually, and the volume of hot gas released also increases gradually, but the flows of hot gas are always directed upward, and the flows are powerful enough to at a certain moment block the access of oxygen throughout the entire cross-section of the narrow mouth in the pipe.
As a result, combustion becomes less intense. After the temperature decreases, the power of the flow of hot gas weakens and allows oxygen into the combustion zone - this cycle is spontaneous and constant, and the adjustment of the optimal temperature under the roof of the stove occurs without any human intervention. The main element and feature of the design is the domed vault, which accumulates and distributes the flow of thermal energy from the flame.
Cooking technologies in a Pompeii wood-fired oven
An Italian wood-burning oven copes equally well with cooking, frying, baking, frying, stewing, and simmering. She was simply created for this. Here are the most popular technologies and the conditions for their use.
Technology for baking pizza in a wood-fired oven
- Recommended temperature: 350°C.
- What you can cook: all types of pizzas, flatbreads and several types of snacks.
- Necessary conditions for baking pizza: complete heating of the oven and maintaining high heat (the flame reaches the dome), continuity of the process.
At the moment of maximum heating, pizzas can be baked next to the fire.
Technology of baking bakery products in a Pompeian oven
- Recommended temperature: about 250°C.
- What you can cook: bread, desserts, sliced meats, legumes, pasta dishes.
- Necessary conditions for baking: maintaining a constant temperature (which is not a problem for “pompeii”). It is important to remember that the temperature varies for different types of baked goods. So, for pies with fruit fillings the optimal temperature will be 250-280°C, for other types of fillings 250-260°C, for bread 200-250°C, for yeast dough 180-200°C. Casseroles will also feel comfortable in the oven at a temperature of 180-200°C, but meringues will only feel comfortable at 100°C.
Grill technology in a Pompeii oven
Recommended temperature: 300-350°C.
- What you can cook: fish, meat, vegetables.
- Necessary conditions: “correct” dishes. In this case, a special grill pan will give the meat a unique and appetizing pattern, terracotta or steel utensils will make your potatoes even tastier than deep-fried. But the most important condition will be strict adherence to temperature conditions for various dishes. Remember: meat - 300°C, fish and vegetables - 250°C.
Extinguishing technology in a Pompeii wood-fired oven
- Recommended temperature: 180-200°C.
- What you can cook: meat, vegetables.
- Necessary conditions: strict adherence to temperature conditions.
Technology of simmering in a Pompeian oven
- Recommended temperature range: 70-96°C.
- What you can cook: meat, vegetables, fruits, cereals, soups, mushrooms. You can simmer with the addition of water, milk, sour cream, wine.
- Necessary conditions: for simmering in a Pompeian oven, depending on the dish, time from half an hour to 6 hours is required. It really all depends on the characteristics of your oven: a clay Pompeii oven will hold low temperatures for up to 15 hours. As in the Russian oven, it produces the best stewed dishes: apples in honey, pears in wine, rabbit in white wine, mushrooms with vegetables and cheese, potatoes with milk, cabbage soup and borscht, porridge. Even the toughest wild meat will become tender and flavorful here.
About the advantages of Pompeii stoves:
- They heat up very quickly - half an hour after ignition is enough, and it is possible to load raw food for cooking. For comparison, a traditional Russian stove requires more than two hours from ignition to the start of cooking.
- The heat-storing capabilities are excellent - after the fuel has completely burned out, the temperature remains for several hours, and cooking with stewing and simmering is possible.
- Compactness and beautiful aesthetic appearance - you can integrate the stove into various landscapes, for a summer house or a country house
History in photos: how bread from Pompeii, which is 2000 years old, was preserved
Here is a photo of bread that is almost two thousand years old. On a warm day on August 24, 79, a baker from Pompeii put several loaves into the oven, and when Vesuvius erupted, the entire bakery was under a thick layer of ash, which also filled the stone ovens. The end result is that the loaves retain their original shape and texture and look like they just came out of the oven. Each of the round loaves has a baker's seal, which was placed as a guarantee of quality and a distinctive sign of the bakery where each loaf was made.
The bakery was discovered in 1880 and is still one of the most popular attractions in Pompeii. Well, the loaf of bread itself has been to more than one museum exhibition.
By the way, this is not the only bakery product found under volcanic ash: in 1930, another loaf was found in Herculaneum, the second city that ceased to exist after the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius in 79. They even tried to repeat the recipe in 2013.
The eruption of Vesuvius in 79 is the largest natural disaster of the Ancient World. Entire cities were buried under ash and stones. As if preserved, they stood for centuries in the same form as on that fateful August day. Within 24 hours, houses, streets, animals and the Romans themselves were buried alive. Residents of these territories of later times always knew that there was a city somewhere underground, but the first ruins were discovered only at the end of the 16th century. Excavations began only in the middle of the 18th century, and over several centuries the remains of more than 1,500 people were found here, as well as numerous household items that perfectly illustrate the life of the ancient Roman city. It was all as if frozen in time. In some places the layer of ash reached 15 meters, it turned into rock. The stone did not allow air to pass through, so even food, wood and human skin were protected from decomposition.
Furnaces and stone mills in Pompeii
Still, the petrified bodies disintegrated, but they left behind empty traces in the rock. In the middle of the 19th century, for the first time, liquid plaster was poured into one of these cavities (at that time completely inexplicable), which, having hardened, turned into the remains of the Pompeians.
Portraits and frescoes were preserved, which can be seen even after two millennia. By the way, including a portrait of the baker’s family who made bread that is two thousand years old: the portrait shows him and his wife. It is noteworthy that the woman is depicted with writing materials, which means that she was literate and equal to her husband both in the family and in business.
Minuses:
- Complex design, difficulties associated with the correct laying of the dome vault, the main element and the basis for the correct operation of the furnace.
- Significant mass of the furnace and the need for a powerful foundation.
- From a financial point of view, building a Pompeii furnace is expensive. Fireclay and red stove bricks are required.
- Work on the construction of a furnace takes a considerable period of time, especially if the foundation is built in a monolith. published If you have any questions on this topic, ask them to the specialists and readers of our project here.
PS And remember, just by changing your consumption, we are changing the world together! © econet
Alfa Special Pizzeria Bocca 120
These are just general recommendations for using a wood-burning Pompeian stove, which will be useful to you for the first time, but will not help you become a virtuoso in this matter. Each chef has his own secrets of communicating with this unique equipment. They honed their skills in operating a wood stove, hour after hour, day after day, until they perfected their relationship with it.
After all, every Italian wood-burning oven is just a skillfully made tool that can only create culinary masterpieces in collaboration with a master of his craft. Don't be afraid to experiment and you will be guaranteed success!
Why is a Pompeii stove necessary?
Since the Pompeian wood-burning oven copes well with the process of preparing pizza, it is also called a pizza oven. It should be immediately noted that it is advisable not to use a fireplace to prepare pizza due to its unsuitable design.
The design of such a product differs from the design of a fireplace: its chimney is located on the entrance side and is separated from the combustion chamber. The entrance to the furnace room has a height of approximately 60 percent of the height of the dome. A cold stream of air entering from below enters the fire - during baking pizza, usually in the side at the back - and then comes out already wet and hot, going around the “ceiling”, falling down at the exit, and only then comes out up into the chimney. The width of the furnace entrance is approximately the height of the dome or slightly less. For example, with a unit diameter of 110 cm, the entrance has a width and height of approximately 50 cm. Compliance with this ratio determines the correct operation of the device: small heat loss, smoke outflow, excellent draft.
It is important to know: a DIY Pompeian oven is a rather difficult task, and the accuracy of its structure largely determines the correct preparation of the dish. For this reason, it is advisable to entrust the construction of this unit to specialists who will do everything efficiently and quickly. (See also: DIY adobe oven)
It can be placed:
- At home.
- At the dacha (both indoors or gazebo, and outdoors).
- At the pizzeria.
- In a bakery and restaurant.
