Texas State Cooking Implement – Dutch Oven

The Dutch Oven was adopted as the Texas State Cooking Implement on June 18, 2005. The Dutch Oven is believed to date back to the early 1700s in Holland. It is unsure when the cooking implement came to America but in Texas it was used by the Spanish explorers, early settlers, ranchers and chuck wagon cooks. The Dutch Oven is ideal for moist-cooking methods. The oven has still remained a popular cooking utensil and in 1995, the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society was formed to promote its use throughout the state. The legislature said, “Renowned for its portability and durability, the cast iron Dutch oven has been a cooking mainstay of Texans from the time of the pioneers to the current day, and it is indeed appropriate that it receive special legislative recognition for its role in our state’s history and culture.”