<P> A Dutch oven is a thick - walled cooking pot with a tight - fitting lid . Dutch ovens are usually made of seasoned cast iron; however, some Dutch ovens are instead made of cast aluminium, or are ceramic . Some metal varieties are enameled rather than being seasoned . Dutch ovens have been used as cooking vessels for hundreds of years . They are called casserole dishes in English - speaking countries other than the United States ("casserole" means "pot" in French), and cocottes in French . They are similar to both the Japanese tetsunabe and the Sač, a traditional Balkan cast - iron oven, and are related to the South African Potjie, the Australian Bedourie oven and Spanish cazuela . </P> <P> During the 17th century, brass was the preferred metal for English cookware and domestic utensiles, and the Dutch produced it at the lowest cost, which, however, was still expensive . In 1702, Abraham Darby was a partner in the Brass Works Company of Bristol, which made malt mills for breweries . Apparently in 1704, Darby visited the Netherlands, where he studied the Dutch methods of working brass, including the casting of brass pots . Darby learned that when making castings, the Dutch used molds made of sand rather than the traditional loam and clay, and this innovation produced a finer finish on their brassware . In 1706 he started a new brass mill in the Baptist Mills section of Bristol . There Darby realized that he could sell more kitchen wares if he could replace brass with a cheaper metal, namely, cast iron . Initial experiments to cast iron in sand molds were unsuccessful, but with the aid of one of his workers, James Thomas, a Welshman, he succeeded in casting iron cookware . In 1707 he obtained a patent for the process of casting iron in sand, which derived from the Dutch process . Thus the term "Dutch oven" has endured for over 300 years, since at least 1710 . </P> <P> American Dutch ovens changed over time during the colonial era . These changes included a shallower pot, legs to hold the oven above the coals, and a lid flange to keep the coals on the lid and out of the food . Paul Revere is credited with the design of the flat lid with a ridge for holding coals as well as the addition of legs to the pots . </P>

Where did the term dutch oven come from
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