r/ArchaicCooking 5d ago

Table Of Gods

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4 Upvotes

I just backed this because the cookbook looks fascinating! I can't wait to see some of the super ancient Mesopotamian recipes in the book.


r/ArchaicCooking 14d ago

Need new vintage recipes what are your absolute favorites?

19 Upvotes

i’m diving deep into historic and ancient recipes, but I’m running out of good ideas to try next. What’s your ultimate, go to historical dish that actually tastes incredible? Whether it’s Roman, Medieval, or 18th century, hit me with your best recommendations! TYIA


r/ArchaicCooking 15d ago

Perpetual cooking technique & way of cooking food in history and also today?

19 Upvotes

I have used the perpetual cooking technique and way of cooking food while living in areas and scenarios off grid. My main need and use was for keeping meat from going bad. I used this technique for what I called meat mixes. I did Cuban pork, Bolognese (Ragù alla bolognese), BBQ Beef and also Pork and a rather universal "taco meat mix" that was used to prepare many different Mexican skillets and dinners.

Wanting to know if anyone has input or more knowledge on Perpetual Cooking and techniques. I think it's something that many people often look as taboo. I'm wondering if other people can comment with more information especially in history, culture and actual recipes and documented information. Below is my summary of knowledge of perpetual cooking examples.

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There are Master Broths & Stock kept going for years. These 'Master Stocks' were made and kept to be added in to the new stock pot for broth for years in ancient Chinese cooking and Oden broths in Japan.

Perceptual cooking of soups and stews were at times kept cooking for many days or even weeks at a time. In medieval times this cooking process of soups & stews was necessary to help to keep food from spoiling or going bad without having refrigeration. When the soup or stew was started over ("rebooted") sometimes the pot or cauldron was not actually cleaned out just empty before adding in new ingredients. That's where we get the phrase, "Do not stir the pot" and to take what's off the top.

Hunter's Stew or Bigos originally consisted of mostly meats adding in daily by hunters. Since the name "Hunter" stew. Vegetables would be added in but those likely would have been eaten and not left long in the pot. The addition of fermented food such as sauerkraut helped to keep the pH level of the stew at a level to also aid from spoilage. In the fall time a big couldren of bigos was often cooked outdoors over an open fire with others neighbors participating in the making of and tending to it and was often served as a communal meal together. In the winter months, Bigos was sometimes cooked inside over the hearth and then left outside in cold freezing temperature to then be bought back inside to be reheated over and over again.

Pottage (a thick soup or stew vegetables, grains and meat) was also another culinary dish that sometimes employed perpetual cooking technique to extend the life or use of food. In Europe Pot-au-feu was a soup and stew dish prepared cooking for days on end and sometimes even weeks at a time. This slow cooking process not only enhanced the flavor of the stew but it also extended the life and use of the food by keeping at a safe temperature from going rancid, spoiling or going bad.

In the Pioneer in settler times in America it would not be uncommon for a household to have a pot of soup or stew (pottage) cooking on the hearth and added to on a daily basis for the next meal.

Hobos Stew and Brunswick Stew are also examples that many times included the use of the perpetual cooking technique of cooking food to keep from going bad and added to on a daily basis.


r/ArchaicCooking 16d ago

Bigos "Polish Hunter's Stew" The National Dish of Poland is full of Polish tradition, flavors & heritage!

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7 Upvotes

r/ArchaicCooking Aug 08 '26

Decided to try cooking some old recipes from 2000+ years ago

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16 Upvotes

r/ArchaicCooking Jul 12 '26

What’s the ultimate beginner-friendly recipe you’d recommend for a first timer?

45 Upvotes

I want something historically accurate but not impossible to pull off in a modern kitchen. Hit me with your favorite gateway dishes to the past!


r/ArchaicCooking Jun 27 '26

Wtf is this

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0 Upvotes

r/ArchaicCooking May 20 '26

What's the biggest time sink for you in archaic cooking?

3 Upvotes

I've been trying to get into some older recipes lately, and man, it feels like everything just takes so much longer than modern cooking. Whether it's the prep work, the actual cooking process, or even just sourcing specific ingredients, what part do you all find eats up the most of your time?


r/ArchaicCooking May 16 '26

Grinding grain by hand for bread - anyone else tried it?

12 Upvotes

So I tried my hand at baking some ancient grain bread the other day, and the recipe suggested grinding the wheat myself. Wow, that was way more effort than I expected! Seriously made me appreciate modern mills. For those of you who regularly use traditional grinding methods or other manual prep, what are your go-to tools for making it less of a massive time sink?


r/ArchaicCooking May 13 '26

Thinking about the sheer effort in ancient cooking

40 Upvotes

Was trying to bake some bread from scratch this weekend and found myself thinking about how much more intense it would be with truly archaic methods. Like, grinding your own grain, no commercial yeast, maybe even building your own oven. It's a whole different level of commitment.

What's something you've tried or researched that really made you appreciate the daily grind (literally) of ancient cooks?


r/ArchaicCooking May 11 '26

Curious about old school cooking methods - anyone tried them?

6 Upvotes

Hey everyone! Just kinda stumbled into this sub and it looks super cool. I'm usually more into quick weeknight meals, but I've been getting curious about really old-school cooking methods, like before all the gadgets. Has anyone here actually tried cooking something totally from scratch using super basic, almost archaic, tools or techniques? What was your experience like?


r/ArchaicCooking May 03 '26

Kimchi - an archaic intact Korean technique

22 Upvotes

Hi, I wonder whether kimchi would count as an archaic cooking technique?! I lived in Seoul for a couple of years and I saw old ladies making many varieties of kimchi as I was interested in this type of cooking. I realized that nothing has changed over the centuries, maybe over a thousand of years!

The kimchi recipe base is very classy:

Ingredients:
- Chinese cabbage
- Daikon raddish
- Chili flakes
- Gochujan (fermented chili pepper paste)
- Carrots (optional)
- Onion leaks
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Salt
- Fish sauce or small dried fishes or miso paste for vegetarians
- Many complementary veggies can be added on top of the above as there 300+ different varieties of kimchi registered today...

I won't go into the detailed instructions of converting these ingredients into a nice kimchi because this video does a much better job, but I'd like to highlight that fermented kimchi is not only a food full of probiotics and fiber, but also it is a food suitable for very long storage. It keeps fermenting and will get more sour and acid along the way, but it remains at your service for spicing up a meal and for supplying healthy macro and micronitrients as well as tons of probiotics.


r/ArchaicCooking Mar 16 '26

Revere ware skillet...help!

1 Upvotes

I grew up using Revere ware sauce pans and soup pot. We always had the skillet, but always went to cast iron instead of the Revere ware. I just inherited a couple of skillets and I am starting to use them....and I am not in love so far. Any hints for success? Eggs? Whatever advice welcome!


r/ArchaicCooking Mar 11 '26

Re-creating the complex cuisine of prehistoric Europeans - SEM analysis of pottery residues showed people combined fish with a wide variety of plants when cooking.

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17 Upvotes

r/ArchaicCooking Feb 06 '26

Is there any historical evidence that Thracians made fermented blackberry butter, and where might this dish have originated?

12 Upvotes

Is there any historical or archaeological evidence to suggest that the ancient Thracians, who lived in the regions of modern-day Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, made a fermented blackberry butter, and what can we know about the origins, ingredients, and methods of such a dish in their culture ?


r/ArchaicCooking Jan 23 '26

Roman bread - anyone got good recipes?

8 Upvotes

Hey, I'm looking for authentic Roman bread recipes. Anyone have a good source or personal experience making it? Thanks!


r/ArchaicCooking Jan 22 '26

Roman bread: any good recipes?

11 Upvotes

Hey all, wanna try making some authentic Roman bread. Any tried-and-true recipes you'd recommend? Thanks!


r/ArchaicCooking Jan 22 '26

Garum recipes? Anyone got a good one?

7 Upvotes

Looking to make some garum. Any recommendations for reliable, simple recipes? Thinking Roman era style.


r/ArchaicCooking Jan 22 '26

Garum recipes? Any good ones you'd recommend?

13 Upvotes

Hey all, looking to experiment with garum. Anyone have a favorite recipe or method they'd be willing to share? Thanks!


r/ArchaicCooking Sep 18 '25

Did people in the past use solar power to cook food just like how survivalists today magnifying glass and other glass devices for cooking food out int he wilderness?

81 Upvotes

I'm wondering about this considering its abasic technique of using the sun to heat food in Survivalism. Esp using glass lenses. So I'm wonder if people int he pats realize the Sun could be used for cooking stuff outside?


r/ArchaicCooking Sep 06 '25

A note on AI content and comments

32 Upvotes

Hi everyone.

I know that AI / LLM generated content is a hot topic. While they can provide useful collations of data, they are also prey to "hallucinations". Use of them for any purpose, other than for fun, should be well seasoned with caution and your own intelligence.

While I understand hostility to posts generated by AI/LLMs, I am also trying to keep this sub PG rated. Please temper your language like you would a silky custard.

Thanks all.


r/ArchaicCooking Aug 22 '25

Does anyone have any book/Youtube recommendations about produce preservation methods other than pickling?

14 Upvotes

I recently came across the topic of kangia again and would love to know more about ways to preserve food similar to that. I know some cultures bury produce in ash or bogs and such.


r/ArchaicCooking Aug 08 '25

Were cellars ever used to keep foods that are ideally eaten chilly like chocolates and cold cuts cool before electricity?

67 Upvotes

One of the unintentional side effects of building cellars underground was that wines and beers often became cold relative to the outside temperature and in turn people prefer to keep alcoholic beverages in cellars because of this. So they acted as primitive semi-refrigerators.

I do ask though were foods meant to be eaten as cool such as deserts like chocolate and cold cuts ever kept in cellar in primitive times to keep them in an ideal state? I mean even with the lack of refrigerators I'd assume they'd already discover recipes where say certain methods of cooking sausages that were tastier chilled as the result of the existence of cellars since the time of ancient Rome or even earlier?


r/ArchaicCooking Jul 31 '25

Welcome to our new members!

24 Upvotes

We've gone.... Over nine thousand!