People have been cooking food for untold ages—probably since prehistoric people first learned to use fire. Archaeologists have found charred animal bones and parched seeds and grains in the remains of the oldest cave campfires.
Primitive cooking was crude, tedious, and difficult. The cook had no pots, pans, or grills, and so might hang a piece of meat on a wet branch over the fire. A cook might also dig a pit and line it with animal skins to hold a gruel or stew, then heat rocks in the fire and drop them into the mixture to make it simmer. Centuries passed before people invented pottery vessels for cooking.
People kept experimenting to improve the flavor of their foods and make their diet more satisfying.