Kamado (かまど)
Many people ask themselves the same question when they see a Kamado for the first time: “What exactly is that?” Well, the Kamado is a ceramic oven that has its origins in primitive clay and mud pots used more than 3,000 years ago in China, and even 4,000 years ago in India. However, the word Kamado (かまど) is Japanese and means “oven.” At Sugarra, we’ve been using it to cook meat on the grill for a long time.
In India, it evolved into the now famous Tandoor oven and in Japan 2,500 years ago, into the Mushikamado (used in cooking rice). The latter was a spherical pot with a removable dome, used mainly in southern Japan. Initially it was made of clay and as it contained small amounts of sulfur it expanded and could crack at high temperatures.
After the end of World War II, the Americans took notice of the Kamado (specifically, Ed Fisher, who was stationed there) and between 1950 and 1970, they imported it and adapted it to the model we have today, replacing the clay with ceramic to be able to reach high temperatures without any problem.
Today, most kamados are made of ceramic and refractory materials, as well as vents that act as adjustable vents, allowing you to control the intensity of the embers and the temperature. We could say they’re the perfect union of ancient tradition and innovation, and they can be used as ovens, smokers, grills… they’re a jack-of-all-trades.
At Sugarra we have one Kamado built in USA. Our main goal is to provide a perfect seal and a deep, grilled flavor to meat, vegetables, and seafood, much more intensely than with the typical Basque grill.
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