KOUZA AND VATTA

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The supply of the household with water was one of the main tasks and issues tackled by the female occupants in each house. For the transport of water from the communal fountain of each village to the home, as well as for the storage of water for the daily needs of the kitchen women used pots known as vattes or kouzes (jugs). The larger-sized kouzes had a wide, spherical body, rounded base, cylindrical neck and two vertical handles.

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Often, the water storage vessels were placed at niches within the walls of the residence. At other times, a tall-legged wooden base for the household jugs was used for their storage, and this instalment is known as korypostatis or kouzostatis.

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For protection, the water storage vessels were often capped with a throumpi (summer savory, a type of wild thorny bush) branch, a clean towel or some other form of lid. The porous surface of the earthenware vessels kept the water cool.

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Kouzoudes (small kouzes) and smaller vattes were also utilised as tableware. Also, in such smaller kouzes people used to store honey collected from beehives, the teratsomelo (carob syrup) extracted from carobs, and the epsima (a type of molasses) extracted from grapes.