Cooking & Serving Berber Tangia

by Casablanca Market

Product Features

• Handmade in Morocco
• fair trade
• Food Safe
• lead and cadmium free

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.2 x 11 x 8 inches ; 7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B00113PDQ6
• Item model number: TC0043
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,441 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)

Product Description

Ah! The Tangia like the tagine only deeper It is easy to use, clean, and maintain. This tangia needs to be seasoned before first use. This process ensures long life, and strength to your tangia which can be used on stove top (up to low-med heat) as well as in the oven (up to 350F) or on a grill. Size: 11"w x 8"h x 3.2" deep. FDA approved food safe.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great cooking pot, September 15, 2010

By 

J. C. Thrush "nachtzoen" (Pacific northwest, [e-mail]) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cooking & Serving Berber Tangia

I love this tagine, I've used it in the oven and bought a clay brazier to use it outside. Didn't try it on the stove with a diffuser, don't want it to break. It's a perfect size for 2-4 people, cleans easily inside, and cooks food really tender. Highly recommended!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Hand made Tangia/Tagine for foodies, December 6, 2011

By 

Debra M Powell - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cooking & Serving Berber Tangia

I am so pleased with this product it is pretty deep I cooked lamb and prunes in it i came up juicy and flavorful.
I cooked veggies, and casseroles in it, this Tangia is very practical and you can actually use it as a tagine just a bit deeper. I cooked in it on top of the stove, and inside the oven. this my first time buying from this seller, I know they mentioned that this Tangia is lead free but you never know so I tested it any way and indeed it was lead free. I love it.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dissatisfied, October 2, 2011

By 

Ellis Guy "Perry Ellis Fan" (California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cooking & Serving Berber Tangia

This item was received the next day. I can't fault the merchant on shipping. It was as prompt as one could expect. Thought it helped that the distance between my home and the seller's location is less than 100 miles.

The above acknowledged, the product is inferior. I seasoned it as directed and cared for it in the recommended manner. Nowhere in the accompanying information was there made mention that the item should not be refrigerated to store what had been cooked in it. I used it 3 times and did refrigerate after taking care to bring the food it to room temperature. It sat on the counter for at least 3 hours.)

Upon finishing the dish the next day, I washed it as usual and didn't immediately notice anything unusual. Upon taking it out to use it several days later, I noticed there were several hairline cracks on the unglazed underside of the tangia. (The lid is glazed on both sides, however the outside of the bottom is not. Upon further examination, it was possible to discern subtle indications that the cracks were coming straight through the cooking vessel to the glazed surface on the inside. I feared that the cracks would progress, widening and finally causing the tangia to fracture with the potential of losing the entire meal creating a big mess.

Upon calling Casablanca Market, I explained the events leading up to the cracking (above) and was informed that the tangia should not have been refrigerated. When I pointed out that there was not a statement in the accompanying literature to that effect, I was told by their representative that it wasn't their responsibility. I indicated that I would complain to Amazon and that I would write an unfavorable review.

I received a phone call from the owner a day or so thereafter. He informed me that they would replace the item. Indeed, I did receive a replacement shortly, however it was of such poor quality that I considered it unacceptable. (the lid would not seat evenly on the base because it was warped and there were serious imperfections on the inside of the base including pitting and poor glazing)

Upon calling the merchant again, I was told that they had no other example of this item because they were having problems with its quality. He explained that he would be traveling to Morocco to find a more acceptable product with consistent quality control. He offered to refund my money providing that I ship the poor quality replacement back to their address at their cost, but my inconvenience, which I did. I received a refund to my credit card. He also stated that, since they would need some people to test the replacement he would be selecting, he would provide one at no cost to me for my review. I took him on his word.

That conversation took place over a year ago and, to date, no test tangia has shown up at my door. I presume he's forgotten about his promise and that I won't be using whatever product he is offering as a replacement in my "test kitchen," if a replacement was actually located. So much for promises.

In summary, the tangia that I have on my hands is defective to the point of being unusable. To be fair, I received my money back, including shipping charges, so I'm out nothing other than frustration. I am disappointed, however, in the outcome. I had been searching for a tangia (deeper than a tagine) for quite some time because there is a particular stew that requires more volume than a tagine provides in my experience. Secondly, the tangia that I ordered has a very authentic look. It's fired earthenware with an attractive look. Unfortunately, the one I have can only serve as a decorative accent in my kitchen. Nice, but no cigar. I'm afraid to apply heat to it, since it may very well split in half due to the cracks.

If the merchant didn't plan on honoring his promise, it would have been better if he had simply refunded my money and left it at that. I probably would not feel quite so resentful and he wouldn't be perceived as slick. As it is, he's reneged on a promise. He's certainly disappointed a potential return customer and I wonder about his sincerity. Possibly he was simply trying to avoid an adverse review and thought I'd forget about my experience with the passage of time.

Bottom line: the tangia that is currently being offered looks identical to the one I have, so if it's indeed from a different supplier, it appears to be made in the same manner. Possibly it is just as susceptible to cracking and the defects I identified with the replacement I returned to the merchant? I do not know if the cracks appeared as a result of the tangia being refrigerated as the merchant's representative stated or whether they simply appeared due to normal heating while cooking. It may just be that, upon sitting for a period of time, it would have cracked anyway. I think that the buyer takes a risk that she/he will be disappointed, which is how I would describe myself. I spent more on the one I have (now refunded) and it became only a kitchen ornament in a short time with few opportunities to use it. The concept of a deeper tagine-like cooking vessel is good, but the execution may lack the quality one seeks for something that needs to withstand heating and cooling for decades. I'll bet no one in Morocco would find its performance acceptable. I have cooking utensils that have been passed down from my grandmother and they're still performing well, but I doubt if one could expect such durability from this product. Take your chances on this one.