Druware

Delft Blue Druware Dutch Oven
Newspaper advertisement for a sale on Druware
DRU Enameled Cookware

Druware, also known as DRU Holland cookware[1][2] and Royal Dru,[3][4] was a line of porcelain-enamel-coated cast-iron cookware made by the De Koninklijke Diepenbrock & Reigers of Ulft (DRU) company in Achterhoek, Netherlands.[5]

Imports to the United States

The pots and pans were popular in the United States during the middle of the 20th century, after Robert Evans began importing the cookware from The Netherlands, with gross annual sales of $1.5 million in 1956,[6] and nearly $2 million in 1957.[3]

"American housewives have been snapping up the Evans-designed green, blue and yellow 'cook-and-serve' vessels faster than many stores can keep them in stock. Known as Royal Dru, the cookware is the adaptation of a 200-year-old Dutch process of fusing iron to enamel so that it won't crack or chip from heat or rough handling."[3]

In 1960, DRU incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to manage distribution.[4]

Popularity

The most popular line of Druware came in pastel shades of Delft Blue, Tulip Yellow, and Key Largo Green, and was recognizable for the hand-painted tulip, windmill, and fleur-de-lis decorations on the sides and lids of each piece.[7] A flame orange color, as well as "Holiday White" (white enamel, with the signature tulip design in blue)[8][9] and an all-white color "that resembles china"[10] were also produced.

Despite Druware's popularity with home cooks, venerable chef James Beard was less impressed. "I use the old lines of cast iron -- Griswold, Wagner -- not all this prettied stuff. I had a Druware pot simply split from the heat a day or two ago."[11]

Cessation of production

After natural gas became popular in the Netherlands in the 1960s,[12] DRU ceased the production of cookware, and began producing fireplaces, wall heaters, and wood stoves.[5]

Influence

Druware was the design inspiration for Dutch Ovenware, a line of pottery produced by Cameron Clay Products, of Cameron, West Virginia.[13]

References

  1. ^ "The Cast Iron Collector". Retrieved 2022-10-27.The Cast Iron Collector
  2. ^ Lange, Alexandra (2011-11-16). "Midcentury-Modern Cookware for a Thrifty-Chic Thanksgiving". Gourmet. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 2011-11-22. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  3. ^ a b c Cameron, Juan (1957-04-28). "Acton Importer's Advice: Beware Operating a One-Man Business". The Boston Sunday Herald. p. 62. LCCN 12728704.
  4. ^ a b "Dutch Concern Establishes Distribution Unit in U.S.". Wall Street Journal. New York: Dow Jones & Company Inc. 1960-02-26. p. 5. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 132631877
  5. ^ a b "Our Story". DRU. Retrieved 2022-10-27.DRU: Our Story
  6. ^ Freeman, William M. (1956-04-08). "News of the Advertising and Marketing Fields". New York Times. p. F11. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 113909996
  7. ^ Goldberg, Michael J. (1996). "Descoware and Druware". Groovy kitchen designs for collectors, 1935-1965 : with value guide. Schiffer. pp. 153–155. OCLC 1149276708.
  8. ^ "'Holiday White' Cooks 'n Serves". Daily Defender. Chicago, Ill.: Robert S. Abbott Pub. Co. 1960-10-10. p. 5. ISSN 2572-5289. ProQuest 493791361
  9. ^ Johnson, Abbey (1960-12-11). "How About Gift for Home? It's a Cinch to Please". South. Chicago Daily Tribune. Chicago, Ill.: Tribune Publishing Company. p. 11. ProQuest 182737082
  10. ^ "Housewares Get a Worldly Touch". New York Times. 1958-10-15. p. L49. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 114515473
  11. ^ Ginsberg, Priscilla, ed. (December 1962). "Kitchens are to Cook". Interiors. 122 (5). Emerald Expositions: 102. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  12. ^ "The rise and fall of the Dutch Groningen gas field".
  13. ^ Gonzalez, Mark (2015-02-11). "Royal Cuisine and Dutch Ovenware by Cameron Clay Products". Retrieved 2022-11-04.

Further reading

  • Rodermond, Jacco; Bourgondiën, Karel (2004). Vuurvast en energiek : 250 jaar DRU. Fonteyn & Andersen. OCLC 943938367.

See also