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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Nalot (Root Vegetable Mash)      Origin: Vanuatu	Poddash Meinn-corkey (Oatmeal Porridge)      Origin: Manx	Red Grout Dessert      Origin: British Virgin Islands
Nettles      Origin: British	Podin Nadelik (Cornish Stout and Marmalade Christmas Pudding)      Origin: Britain	Red Grout Dessert      Origin: US Virgin Islands
Nigerian Rice Flour FuFu      Origin: Nigeria	Podin Pes (Cornish Pease Pudding)      Origin: England	Red Millet Asida (Brown Ugali)      Origin: Uganda
Oatmeal Potatoes      Origin: Scotland	Polbo á Feira (Galician Style Octopus)      Origin: Spain	Rhiwbob Rhost â Iogwrt (Limpets)      Origin: Welsh
Ofellae Aprogineo (Starters in the Manner of Wild Boar)      Origin: Roman	Pollo Relleno (Stuffed Chicken, Andalusian Style)      Origin: Spain	Rice Congee      Origin: Anglo-Indian
Okra with Seaweed Paste      Origin: Fusion	Porcellum Lacte Pastum Elixum (Boiled Suckling Pig, Fed on Milk)      Origin: Roman	Risengrød (Rice Porridge)      Origin: Denmark
Onunu (Mashed Yam and Plantain)      Origin: Nigeria	Porcellum Liquaminatum (Suckling Pig in Sauce)      Origin: Roman	Riz Soumbala (Soumbala Rice)      Origin: Burkina Faso
Pan Haggis      Origin: Scotland	Porcellum Liquaminatum (Boiled, Stuffed, Suckling Pig)      Origin: Roman	Rizogalo (Rice Pudding)      Origin: Cyprus
Pap II      Origin: South Africa	Porcellum Thymo Sparsum (Suckling Pig Sprinkled with Thyme)      Origin: Roman	Roast Potato Gnocchi      Origin: British
Papeda (Sago Congee)      Origin: Papua New Guinea	Porcellum Traianum (Suckling Pig à la Trajan)      Origin: Roman	Roast Ribs of Beef      Origin: Britain
Papeda (Sago Congee)      Origin: Papua	Pork and Ginger Dumplings      Origin: China	Rolled Wheat Meal Swallow      Origin: Nigeria
Pâte d'awara (Awara paste)      Origin: French Guiana	Portuguese Percebes      Origin: Portugal	Roman Gnocchi      Origin: British
Patellam Lucretianam (A Dish à la Lucretius)      Origin: Roman	Posho      Origin: Uganda	Russian Pierogi      Origin: Russia
Patina Versatilis Vice Dulci (Nut Custard Turnover)      Origin: Roman	Pounded Banana      Origin: Burundi	Saffron Prawn Both      Origin: Britain
Patinam de Piscibus (A Dish of Fish II)      Origin: Roman	Preparing Fresh Snails      Origin: France	Saint Lucia Paime      Origin: Saint Lucia
Payn Ragonn      Origin: England	Preparing Giant Land Snails for Food      Origin: Nigeria	Sajta de Pollo      Origin: Bolivia
Pelmeni (Kyrgyz Mutton Dumplings)      Origin: Kyrgyzstan	Preserved Pine-apple      Origin: American	Sakizli Muhallebi (Mastic Pudding)      Origin: Turkey
Pelmeni (Siberian Beef Dumplings)      Origin: Siberia	Preserved Pippins      Origin: American	Saksak (Sago and Banana Dumpling)      Origin: Papua New Guinea
Percebes Tapas (Gooseneck Barnacles Tapas)      Origin: Spain	Preserved Plums      Origin: American	Salt Cod      Origin: Britain
Perna Apruna ita Impletur Terentina (Filled Gammon of Wild Boar Terentine)      Origin: Roman	Preserved Quinces      Origin: American	Sanger Yena (Offal Sausages)      Origin: Aruba
Pernae Cocturam (Preparation of a Ham)      Origin: Roman	Puerto Rican Dulce de Leche      Origin: Puerto Rico	Sausage Roly-poly      Origin: England
Pernam (Ham)      Origin: Roman	Pulaka      Origin: Tuvalu	Scots Barley Sugar      Origin: Scotland
Petasonem ex Musteis (Shoulder of Pork with Sweet Wine Cakes)      Origin: Roman	Pullum Anethatum (Aniseed Chicken)      Origin: Roman	Shellfish Seaweed Pudding      Origin: Ancient
Phoenicoptero (Of Flamingo)      Origin: Roman	Pullum cum Olivis Columbadibus (Boiled Chicken with Columbadian Olives)      Origin: Roman	Shuizhu niurou (Spicy Water-boiled Beef)      Origin: China
Pia Sua (Coconut Pudding)      Origin: Tuvalu	Pulpo con salsa cítrica de mango (Octopus with citrus mango sauce)      Origin: Easter Island	Sic Farcies eam Sepiam Coctam (Stuffed and Cooked Cuttlefish)      Origin: Roman
Pia Sua (Coconut Pudding)      Origin: Solomon Islands	Pumpkin Ricotta gnocchi (Gnocchi de Zucca e Ricotta)      Origin: Italy	Skate Curry      Origin: Britain
Pia Sua (Coconut Pudding)      Origin: Kiribati	Pwdin Berwi (Boiled Pudding)      Origin: Welsh	Soy Chicken Wings      Origin: China
Pick-up Saltfish      Origin: US Virgin Islands	Pwdin Clwt (Clootie Dumpling)      Origin: Welsh	Spaetzle (German Noodles)      Origin: Germany
Pierogies      Origin: Georgia	Pwdin Crynu (Quaking Pudding)      Origin: Welsh	Spaetzle Noodles      Origin: Germany
Pirohi      Origin: Slovakia	Pyggus in sauce (Pork in Sauce)      Origin: England	Spring Dolma      Origin: Armenia
Plain Boiled Rice      Origin: Anglo-Indian	Rapa Nui Dumplings      Origin: Easter Island	Spynee (Made From the Berries of Spines)      Origin: England
Plain Boiled Rice for Curries      Origin: Britain	Rasmalai      Origin: India	St Helena Black Pudding      Origin: St Helena
Poached Chicken      Origin: Britain	Ravjul (Maltese Ravioli)      Origin: Malta
Poached Egg      Origin: Britain	Raw Fry      Origin: England

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