"It's a round, medium-deep vessel made of partially glazed earthenware. The Spanish call it a cazuela (in Catalonia and the Valencia region, it's a cassola) and use it for everything from soups to stews to crema catalana and flaming rum-spiked coffee. With its semi-nonstick surface and even heat conduction, though, it's best of all for paella and any other rice dish you can imagine." -The Editors, from the 1999 edition of the SAVEUR 100, Issue #32