Recho

A small charcoal stove, historically constructed from a metal bucket or drum lined with clay or cement, used as a primary cooking heat source, particularly significant given historical and ongoing energy infrastructure challenges in Haiti.

Material & Construction

Metal outer shell (often a repurposed container) lined with clay or cement insulation, with a grate to hold burning charcoal.

Traditional Uses

General-purpose everyday cooking heat source, historically and currently significant given charcoal's continued major role in Haitian household energy use.

Modern Availability / Equivalents

Available through local Haitian markets and informal manufacture rather than mass-produced international retail; a standard charcoal brazier serves a broadly similar function.

Care & Maintenance

Standard charcoal stove care — clean ash regularly and inspect the clay or cement lining periodically for cracking.

Charcoal use in Haiti carries significant environmental and deforestation concerns that have been the subject of ongoing policy and development discussion — worth noting as context beyond the tool's purely functional description.