Ancient Outdoor Cooking Techniques: From Primal Caveman to Modern Backyard Griller

In Prehistoric times, Man discovered Fire. Whether from Nature (active volcano’s or natural storms) or, as believed by many Cultures, a gift from the Gods. Just as Man discovered the Wheel, when he discovered Fire, he learned how to Cook Outdoors.

According to AncientCraft there were (3) Stone Aged Peoples:

Their Ingredients & Diet include:

Palaeolithic: Much of this diet would have consisted of meat (including marrow and animal organs like the liver, kidneys and brains that are extremely rich sources of nutrition), fish and shellfish. Leafy vegetables, fruit, nuts and insects making up the remaining part of their diet. However food source was very seasonal and early man was nomadic.

Mesolithic: Humans enjoyed a warmer climate and a greater range of food, including seafood (such as limpets, periwinkles, and numerous other types of molluscs and crustaceans) supplemented with wild boar and deer, along with any edible plants like apples, nuts and berries. However people also started the transition farming and began to to domesticate animals, such as dogs, possibly for hunting.

Neolithic: Farmers produced a surplus of food, meaning they could share with other people in their community. This surplus of food meant that not everyone had to farm, so people began to specialize in skills other than farming. However farming took about 2,000 years to spread across all parts of the British Isles. The domestication of other animals (sheep, goats and pigs) took place sometime between the late Mesolithic and early Neolithic.

How Did Early Humans First Cook His First Meat And Make His Own Tools? Well, that depended on where they lived and what resources they had. According to Papre

Facts

Who Cooked The First Meat?

“The early humans ate raw. Cooking may have been discovered by accident. Some of the animals he killed may have been thrown near the fire. Or the meat they consume might have accidentally fallen into the glowing embers. The surface of the meat turned brown. This smelled & tasted good. Therefore, man discovered that his food would be improved by cooking. Man then slowly skilled by boiling food in pits, which were lined with a large hide or skin. These pits were usually filled with water & heated to the boiling point by red-hot stones.Gradually, man learned to make utensils. Kettles were made by smearing clay over reed baskets and letting it harden. These kettles were placed on fire for cooking foods, which was either with or without water. In those days there were only 2 ways of cooking:

By baking or by roasting in dry heat
By boiling or steaming on moist heat

As civilization developed, cooking became an art.

How Did The Life Of Early Man Change?

Almost all the inventions made by the early man or early humans came out of a cause or need or by accident. Our ancestors were hunters and the initial tools used were generally for throwing, cutting & hammering. The early tools of early men were mostly out of sticks and stones.The pieces of some stones were used to make fine sharp edges which could then be used for cutting. The tips of the sticks were basically sharpened in order to make spears, which then later were used for throwing. Handles made of sticks were fixed to stones to form nice hammers. The tools he made acted as an extension of man’s hand and helped him to hunt animals more efficiently. Though these devices were too basic, they were very important. It led to further new inventions in later centuries. These inventions led to changes in the ways an early man actually lived”.

Today, we have learned many Ancient Cooking Methods and Techniques. In Backpacking or a Survival Situation, many alternate methods exist. According to Practical Survivor the “(7) Basic Methods are:

Cooking over coals (ash cooking)
Broiling rack / Tennis Racket
Plank Cooking
Hot rock cooking / Steam Pit
Flat stone cooking
Spit cooking or spit roast
Clay cooking

Outdoor cooking without proper equipment can be a challenge. After practicing several methods, it can actually be fun. There are many ways to cook your food in the outdoors. Most people think of outdoor or survival cooking as simply using direct heat. Often we think about using skewers or simply hanging the food on a log. Other possible ways to cook the food are:

Radiative heat – Grilling, roasting
Steam
Baking

Once Humans developed their Techniques and Methods using their Resources and Tools, Cooking evolved. You can follow the History of Cooking at AllthatCooking.com which highlights all the Techniques by Culture to Today’s Modern Humans.

According to Wikipedia “Cooking is the art of preparing food for ingestion, commonly with the application of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, with cultural traditions and trends. The way that cooking takes place also depends on the skill and type of training an individual cook has”. For Advanced Cooking Methods, they have a great Reference at Cooking Techniques.

At http://PitmasterandtheCook.com we Explore Modern Day Outdoor Cooking, which includes Campfire, Gas Grills, Charcoal Grills, Open Pit, Smokers and Portable Grilling (Hibachi) style. We also specialize in Marinades, Seasonings, Rubs, Spices and Herbs used for Healthy Cooking and Beverages (Diet and Nutrition).

We offer Recipes, Tips and Tricks for Delicious and Healthy Meal Options.

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