This is a cauldron used to boil or steam foods. Cauldrons with and without legs are called jeong and bu, respectively. The types and names of cauldrons vary according to usage and materials. They are classified based on usage, into cauldrons for containing water, cooking rice, cooking soup, and making cattle gruel. Cauldrons are also categorized based on materials into cast iron cauldrons, brass cauldrons, and talc cauldrons. While some cauldrons have downward-curving side from the mouth and the lid fits in line with the side, others have a straight side to a wide mouth and accordingly a relatively wide, flat lid. Various materials are used to make cauldrons, including brass, talc, and aluminum. Among them, brass cauldrons have a flat bottom, a straight side and a flat lid. They were often used to cook one or two portions of rice to be served hot. Earthenware cauldrons are more suitable for cooking soups rather than boiling rice. They were also widely used as simple cooking equipment for traveling merchants who tied it to the end of their A-frame carrier to cook rice during their travels. Traditional cauldrons were made of cast iron with four tabs and a cast iron lid with a knob. When building or moving to a new house, it was customary to place the cauldron on the stove hearth first. People who are close to each other are proverbially referred to as “having shared rice from the same cauldron.”
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