A way of preserving food in an area rich in fruit trees
The need to preserve food all year round meant that different techniques for drying fruit were practised in the south. Ovens were essential for this purpose.
Las Vegas, being an eminently agricultural settlement, lived from various crops, mainly cereals, where fruit trees also played a fundamental role in feeding its people.
Rural areas prepared for the coldest time of the year by storing as much food as possible. In this sense, one problem they tried to solve was the preservation of fruit. Ovens such as this one were able to solve this problem by allowing figs to dry. On exceptional occasions, such as weddings or christenings, the ovens were also used to bake sweets and bread.
In this case, the abandonment of these practices is reflected in the state of conservation of these small infrastructures, losing with them part of the architectural and cultural heritage of the islands.