The tagine, an iconic vessel synonymous with Moroccan cooking, has a distinctively conical lid. It’s traditionally made of earthenware and used directly on the stovetop. The conical lid directs moisture toward the center of the dish, helping food to cook more evenly. To make a tagine for use on the stovetop, you’ll need to use micaceous clay, available online.

1 Create a 10-inch-wide bowl with a slight curve where the floor meets the wall. Pull out the top ½ inch to create a gallery. 2 Measure and record the diameter of the gallery with calipers in preparation for making the lid.

3 Turn the leather-hard pot over and trim it to round out the transition from floor to wall. Use a rib to smooth the pot. 4 Throw the lid upside-down as a tall, narrow bowl. Flare the rim and make it a bit larger than the measurement.

5 Center the lid right side up when it is leather hard, trim off any excess clay, and add a knob. 6 To throw a lid right side up, pull up a bottomless ring slightly wider than the measurement, then collar it closed.

7 Gather a brush, a rag, some water, a smooth stone, and slip containing fine powdered mica. 8 To burnish the bone-dry tagine, brush a layer of mica slip onto part of the pot. Don’t worry if it goes on lumpy.

9a Use a damp rag, then your fingertips, then a polished stone to smooth and burnish the slip. 9b Burnish in sections.

From the Pottery Making Illustrated May/June 2016 issue.

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Topics: Functional Pottery, Wheel Throwing Techniques
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