After the control of fire, which was almost certainly used for direct roasting, pit ovens and leather bag based boiling are probably the next developments in cookery. Both rely on a fire heating stones or rocks. For the pit oven, the fire and stones are heated in the bottom of a pit. They're then covered with grass and leaves, which generate steam. The meat is placed on top and the whole is buried. The heat from the fire and the steam cook the food. For boiling in a leather bag, the water and food to be cooked are placed in a leather bag. The hot stones are dropped in and these bring the water and the contents of the bag to a boil. As soon as the ingredients begin to cool drop in another stone... this being the original 'boil in a bag' meal. So, you can boil food long before the invention of pottery or metal working. Indeed, boiling was almost certainly being used as a method of cooking long before the advent of farming. It lends itself to the hunter-gatherer lifestyle as a leather bag is easy to make and light to transport. It can be used to cook seafood, shellfish, game meat and any vegetables or grains that are foraged.

As a method of disinfecting water, bringing it to its boiling point at 100°C (212°F), is the oldest and most effective way since it does not affect the taste, it is effective despite contaminants or particles present in it, and is a single step process which eliminates most microbes responsible for causing intestine related diseases. The boiling point of water is 100°C (212°F) at sea level and at normal barometric pressure. In places having a proper water purification system, it is recommended only as an emergency treatment method or for obtaining potable water in the wilderness or in rural areas, as it cannot remove chemical toxins or impurities.

The boiling point of water is typically considered to be 100°C (212°F; 373K), especially at sea level. Pressure and a change in the composition of the liquid may alter the boiling point of the liquid. High elevation cooking generally takes longer since boiling point is a function of atmospheric pressure. At an elevation of about one mile (1,600 m), water boils at approximately 95 °C (203 °F; 368 K). Depending on the type of food and the elevation, the boiling water may not be hot enough to cook the food properly. Similarly, increasing the pressure as in a pressure cooker raises the temperature of the contents above the open air boiling point (which is why pressure cooking reduces the time required to cook food).

The advent of fireproof pottery allows meals to be cooked by placing the cooking vessel next to the fire. Once metalwork is developed cooking pots can be suspended over a fire, which is why stews feature in so many cuisines. During Medieval times in Europe, boiling was a major way of cooking and both savoury and sweet dishes were boiled, becoming known in English as 'puddings'. This is why, in Britain at least, black pudding, haggis, steamed cakes, Christmas pudding etc are all known as 'puddings'.

Tea and Brewing: As boiling renders water potable and safe, it's interesting how this developed to produce safe drinks in Europe and Asia. In Europe, boiled water was used to make beer, the alcohol in the beer then keeping the water safe and bacteria free for a long time after brewing. In Asia, water was boiled and made into an infusion with green or fermented tea leaves, a drink intended to be imbibed immediately.

The alphabetical list of all the boiling-based recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 339 recipes in total:

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Aano Baraawe (Somali Caramel Fudge)      Origin: Somalia	Boiled Fiddleheads      Origin: American	Christmas Ham      Origin: Ireland
Agidi (Fermented Cornflour Pudding)      Origin: Nigeria	Boiled Ham      Origin: Britain	Chucula      Origin: Ecuador
Agidi Jollof      Origin: Nigeria	Boiled Hogweed Shoots      Origin: Britain	Chuño Phuti      Origin: Bolivia
Ailes de raie sauce au beurre noir (Skate wings with black butter sauce)      Origin: France	Bollan ny Houney (Hollantide Eve Supper-dish)      Origin: Manx	Chykenes in Grauey (Chickens in Gravy)      Origin: England
Aliter carduos (Artichokes with Herbs)      Origin: Roman	Boudin Créole (Creole Black Pudding)      Origin: French Guiana	Chykenys in hocchee (Stuffed Chickens Cooked in Broth)      Origin: England
Aliter carduos elixos (Artichokes with Spiced Sauce)      Origin: Roman	Boudin Créole Rouge (Creole Black Pudding)      Origin: Guadeloupe	Cig Dafad Mewn Dull Cig Moch (Welsh Mutton Ham)      Origin: Welsh
Aliter de Pullo (Chicken Forcemeat, Another Way)      Origin: Roman	Bouillon      Origin: Britain	Clotted Cream Fudge      Origin: Britain
Aliter Dulcia IV (Another Sweet IV)      Origin: Roman	Brabusko      Origin: Niger	Consommé      Origin: Britain
Aliter in Apro (Wild Boar, Another Way)      Origin: Roman	Bramborové Knedlíky (Czech Potato Dumplings)      Origin: Czech	Cornish Hog's Pudding      Origin: England
Aliter in Locusta (Another Sauce for Lobster)      Origin: Roman	Brôn (Brawn)      Origin: Welsh	Cossack's Asparagus      Origin: Russia
Aliter In Struthione Elixo (Of Boiled Ostrich, Another Way)      Origin: Roman	Brown Colouring      Origin: British	Cracas      Origin: Cape Verde
Aliter Leporem Conditum (Another, Seasoned Hare)      Origin: Roman	c (Fondant Icing)      Origin: British	Cream of Puffball Soup      Origin: Britain
Aliter Leporem Elixum (Another, Boiled Hare)      Origin: Roman	Canarian-style New Potatoes with Mojo Sauce      Origin: Spain	Cuisson du Fonio à l'Eau (Fonio Cooked with Water)      Origin: Guinea
Aliter Ofellae (Starters, Another Way)      Origin: Roman	Caramelized Walnuts      Origin: British	Cyflaith Banwy (Banwy Toffee)      Origin: Welsh
Aliter Ofellae II (Starters, Another Way II)      Origin: Roman	Carduos (Artichokes with Egg)      Origin: Roman	Czech Liver Dumplings      Origin: Czech
Andorran Meatballs      Origin: Andorra	Caribbean Burnt Sugar (Guyana Browning Sauce)      Origin: Guyana	Dolma (Stuffed Grape Leaves)      Origin: Azerbaijan
Another Receipt for Gravy Soup      Origin: Britain	Carne Mechada (Venezuelan Shredded Beef)      Origin: Venezuela	Dominican Domplin (Dumplings)      Origin: Dominica
Anserem Elixum Calidum ex Iure Frigido Apiciano (Boiled Goose, Served Hot with Cold Apician Sauce)      Origin: Roman	Carnel of Pork (Pork Flesh)      Origin: England	Dressed Crab      Origin: Canada
Apple Kesari with Nutmeg      Origin: India	Cepelinai (Lithuanian Meat-filled Potato Dumplings)      Origin: Lithuania	Drisheen Sausage      Origin: Ireland
Arequipe      Origin: Colombia	Chateaubriand Sauce      Origin: British	Dulce de Leche      Origin: South America
Arequipe      Origin: Bolivia	Chebeh Rubyan (Prawn Balls)      Origin: UAE	Dulce de Leche      Origin: Uruguay
Aros di Koko (Coconut Rice)      Origin: Dominica	Chebeh Rubyan (Prawn Balls)      Origin: Oman	Dulce de Leche      Origin: Vatican City
Arroz con leche sin azúcar de absorción rápida (Sweet Rice Pudding, made by Rapid Absorption)      Origin: Spain	Chebeh Rubyan (Prawn Balls)      Origin: Iraq	Dulce de Leche      Origin: Paraguay
Aşure (Noah's Pudding)      Origin: Northern Cyprus	Chebeh Rubyan (Prawn Balls)      Origin: Qatar	Dulce de Leche      Origin: Argentina
Bacalao à la Gallega (Galician-style Salt Cod)      Origin: Spain	Chebeh Rubyan (Prawn Balls)      Origin: Saudi Arabia	Dulce de Leche con Frijol Tonka (Dulce de Leche with Tonka Bean)      Origin: Guyana
Balloc Broth      Origin: England	Chebeh Rubyan (Prawn Balls)      Origin: Kuwait	Dwmplinau Afal (Apple Dumplings)      Origin: Welsh
Beef Steak and Kidney Pudding      Origin: Britain	Chebeh Rubyan (Prawn Balls)      Origin: Bahrain	Easterledge      Origin: England
Black Liver Pudding      Origin: Ireland	Cherry Plum Jam      Origin: Britain	Eba (Garri Swallow)      Origin: Nigeria
Black Mustard Dumplings      Origin: Britain	Chewetts on fysche day (Chewetts for Fish Days)      Origin: England	Eight-treasures Sweet Rice Cake      Origin: China
Bloms (Blom Meatballs)      Origin: France	Chicharrón (Fried Pork Belly)      Origin: Costa Rica	Eliza Acton's Herodotus Pudding      Origin: Britain
Boiled Alexanders Shoots      Origin: Britain	Chicharrón Colombiano (Colombian-Style Fried Pork Belly)      Origin: Colombia	Eluit el Tuu (Bananas in Coconut Milk)      Origin: Palau
Boiled and Fried Sea Kale Roots      Origin: Britain	Chicken Stock      Origin: Britain	Elys in Brewet (Eels in Bruet)      Origin: England
Boiled Collar of Bacon with Creamy Mustard Sauce      Origin: Ireland	Chinese Hot Pot      Origin: China
Boiled Evening Primrose Roots      Origin: Britain	Chocolate-ginger Boiled Puddings      Origin: Canada

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