Ancient cooking methods that are bound to fascinate today’s mini chefs  

In today’s day and age, technology has trickled into cooking as well, with numerous innovative methods gaining popularity. From using liquid nitrogen to modern technical equipment, gastronomy has almost become a science now. However, it is important to remember how we arrived here as well. Some cultures around the world still use age-old cooking techniques which have been there for centuries. Modern technology can do wonders, but it cannot wipe away their significance and nostalgia. Here are a few ancient cooking methods that your budding chef should know about. 

Cooking food using hot springs 
This cooking method emerged in chilly Iceland during the Middle Ages. With the abundance of hot springs, people discovered that using geothermal heat produced naturally by the earth can be an ideal alternative to woodfire cooking. This is because it was difficult to keep the fire going for a long period of time. Also, the heat generated from hot springs was gentler. Mostly, a variety of breads was made using this technique. Interestingly, it is still popular even today and produces fresh, traditionally baked bread! 

Baking using ash 
This method has been used by the Aboriginals of Australia since thousands of years. For this, hand-milled grains are placed in cinders until they are fully baked into loaves of bread. Very specific types of ash are used for this purpose in order to ensure that there is no unsavoury flavour transferring to the bread. This method has also influenced modern cooking, with the ever-increasing popularity of the “charred” flavour on foods. 

Earth ovens 
This is an extremely popular ancient cooking method, especially in the Arabian Peninsula and parts of the Indian subcontinent. The concept is pretty straightforward- one has to simply dig a hole in the earth in order to trap enough heat to cook food. The Indian concept of “tandoor” was derived from this. What makes it unique is that this method encouraged a communal experience of cooking and eating food as tribes gathered together to do so. 

The stone boiling technique 
An extremely simple method to follow, the stone boiling technique meant heating stones with fire and then putting them into a pot of water. This method is thousands of years old and more preferred than woodfire because the heat generated was controllable. In fact, many believe that it was this that gave rise to the concept of soups and stews!