Were you aware that the concept of the outdoor kitchen dates back to the Roman Empire Period?
Spending time outside becomes more and more tempting as the weather heats up. Spring is finally here, so it is time to fire up the grill and get cooking outside. Cooking outdoors can be a daunting idea to some, but it is easier than it seems. Humans have been doing it for millennia! For centuries, humans have found reasons to gather and to cook outdoors. Whether it be for survival or for socializing, we have communed around the hearth for thousands of years. Keep reading to learn more about the global history of the outdoor kitchen!
Cooking with the Cavemen
Cooking all began with the cavemen thousands of years ago. Today’s modern human, Homo Sapien, was not even the first to do so. An older ancestor of the Homo Sapien– Homo Erectus, was the first group of people to cook outdoors. Anthropologists believe that the first time Homo Erectus ate cooked meat was searching for a forest that was ravaged by a forest fire. After that fateful day, man could not stop cooking his meat. Cooking meat to eat helped Homo Erectus evolved into today’s Homo Sapien by giving us a larger brain, heightened agility, and enhanced communication skills.
Cooking Through the Ages
Civilization grew from just throwing the meat on the fire to using a metal grill during the Iron Age. Community outdoor kitchens developed and spread across the globe around the time of the Roman Empire. No matter what has happened in history, humans have needed to eat. Outdoor kitchens have always stuck around as a place to gather, communicate, and eat with one another. Whether wars, colonization, exploration, or disaster happened to an area, cooking always remained constant. As technology improved, much of cooking moved indoors, but humans have always loved cooking outdoors, even if it is just for fun.
Modern Outdoor Cooking
The modern barbeque gained popularity in the early 20th century with the invention of the charcoal briquet. The first barbecue stand dates back to 1907 in Shelby County in Kansas City. In 1948, the first national barbeque sauce emerged into grocery stores across the United States. Today, outdoor kitchens have evolved from having a grill on your deck to fully-stocked kitchens in which you could prepare an entire meal. They can include grills, refrigerators, sinks, and even select appliances like pizza ovens.
Questions About Outdoor Kitchens? Ask Rock Tops Fabrication!
If you still have more questions about the history of outdoor kitchens, Rock Tops Fabrication is here to help you. We can even get you started on installing your very own outdoor kitchen on your property. We service Maryland, DC, and Virginia. Call our trained professionals at 410-363-4257. For more information, tips, tricks, and to see what we have been up to, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest, and Houzz.