Moorish oven facts for kids
A Moorish oven (called hornos morunos in Spanish) is a special type of oven. It's made from clay and uses wood as fuel to cook food or make materials. These ovens have a long history, especially in places like Spain and North Africa.
What is a Calera Oven?
A Calera is a specific kind of Moorish oven. It was traditionally used to make plaster. Plaster is a building material, like a strong paste, used to cover walls and ceilings. You can still find these ovens in places like Morocco and nearby areas.
History of Calera Ovens
Calera ovens were very important during the time of the Moors, especially in Spain. People used the plaster made in these ovens to build walls for homes in cities like Madrid. These ovens have been around since the early Middle Ages, which was a long time ago!
Plaster became a very popular building material. Because so many people needed it, more than a hundred Calera ovens were built just in the Madrid area. These ovens were usually built close to the towns because the plaster was used locally.
The name "Calera" comes from the word Aljezares, which was used during the Al-Andalus era for making plaster. These special ovens were used for many centuries, continuing their work until the middle of the 20th century.
See also
- Wood-fired oven
