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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St Kitts Coconut Dumplings      Origin: Saint Kitts	To make a boiled rice pudding      Origin: Britain	Vegetable Stock      Origin: Britain
Sumen (Sow's Belly)      Origin: Roman	To make a Collar of Brawn of a Breast of Pork      Origin: British	Ventrem Plenum (Stuffed Pig's Stomach)      Origin: Roman
Sumen Plenum (Stuffed Sow's Belly)      Origin: Roman	To make a Haggas Pudding.      Origin: Britain	Vincentian and Grenadinian Paime      Origin: Saint Vincent
Taffi (Condensed Milk Toffee)      Origin: Togo	To make a Quaking Pudding      Origin: Britain	Virgin Islands Steamed Fish      Origin: British Virgin Islands
Taiwanese Hot Pot      Origin: Taiwan	To make Gingerbread      Origin: British	Virgin Islands Steamed Fish      Origin: US Virgin Islands
Tapioca      Origin: Nigeria	To make mince pies the best way      Origin: Britain	Vulvulae Isiciatae (Forcemeat for Sow's Womb)      Origin: Roman
Tatws Trwy Crwyn (Potatoes in Their Skins)      Origin: Welsh	Togolese Yam Fufu      Origin: Togo	Wastels yfarced (White Bread, Stuffed)      Origin: England
Tea-scented Eggs      Origin: China	Trinidad Paime      Origin: Trinidad	Whipod (White Pot)      Origin: Welsh
The Broon's Clapshot      Origin: Scotland	Trolis Blawd Plaen (Plain Flour Trollies)      Origin: Welsh	Whole Meat Mould      Origin: England
The Most Kindely Way to Preserve Plums, Cherries, Gooseberries, &c.      Origin: England	Turks and Caicos Boil Fish and Grits      Origin: Turks Caicos	Wisteria Flower Porridge      Origin: China
The Publisher's Pudding      Origin: Britain	Tuwo Shinkafa (Rice Flour Porridge)      Origin: Nigeria	Yalanchy Sarma (Armenian Stuffed Vine Leaves)      Origin: Armenia
To Boil the Rice      Origin: Britain	Ugandan Ugali      Origin: Uganda	Yalanci Dolma (Stuffed Vine Leaves)      Origin: Northern Cyprus
To Drie Apricocks, Peaches, Pippins or Pearplums      Origin: England	Varo      Origin: India	Zagorski Štrukli (Zagorje Cheese Strukli)      Origin: Croatia

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