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 370 recipes in total:

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Eight-treasures Sweet Rice Cake      Origin: China	Haggis      Origin: Scotland	Kittitian Style Conkies      Origin: Saint Kitts
Eliza Acton's Herodotus Pudding      Origin: Britain	Hapai Hantue (Filled Buckwheat Dumplings)      Origin: Bhutan	Knedle sa Sljivama (Potato Dumplings with Plums)      Origin: Serbia
Eluit el Tuu (Bananas in Coconut Milk)      Origin: Palau	Hard Tack Figgy-dowdy      Origin: England	Knoepfle Oder Spaetzleteig (Basic Spaetzle Dough)      Origin: Germany
Elys in Brewet (Eels in Bruet)      Origin: England	Harisa (Chicken and Wheat Porridge)      Origin: Armenia	Kofta Nakhod (Meatballs with Chickpeas)      Origin: Afghanistan
Erbowle      Origin: England	Heicht mat Kraïderzooss (Pike in Green Sauce)      Origin: Luxembourg	Kofta Nakhod (Meatballs with Chickpeas)      Origin: Tajikistan
Fakalate (Coconut Dumplings)      Origin: Tonga	Herodotus' Pudding      Origin: Britain	Kokada (Aruban Coconut Candy)      Origin: Aruba
Farine Grits      Origin: Guyana	Hindle Wakes      Origin: England	Kokada (Bonaire Coconut Candy)      Origin: Bonaire
Ffani (Toffee)      Origin: Welsh	Home-made Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix      Origin: Britain	Kokada (Curaçao Coconut Candy)      Origin: Dominica
Fish Balls with Green Bananas      Origin: Pitcairn Islands	Horehound Candy      Origin: Britain	Korean Style Dashi      Origin: Korea
Flancitos      Origin: Chile	Horehound Candy II      Origin: Britain	Kriibsen (Crayfish, Luxembourg Style)      Origin: Luxembourg
Fondant Icing      Origin: Britain	Hydrogarata Isicia sic Facies (Boiled Forcemeat with Fish-sauce)      Origin: Roman	Kuindiong (South Sudanese Semolina Pudding)      Origin: South Sudan
Fonio and Oat Balls in Peanut Sauce      Origin: Fusion	Idrijski žlikrofi (Slovenian Potato-filled Dumplings)      Origin: Slovenia	Kypriakes Ravioles (Cypriot Ravioli)      Origin: Cyprus
Fonio Balls      Origin: Nigeria	Ika Lolo (Fish in Taro Leaves)      Origin: Tonga	Ladob Banan (Bananas in Coconut Milk)      Origin: Seychelles
For to boyle feasant partrychs capons and corlowe (How to Boil Peasant, Partridges, Capons and Curlews)      Origin: England	In Echino Salso (Salted Sea Urchins)      Origin: Roman	Lakh (Sweet Millet Porridge)      Origin: Senegal
For to make pomme doryes and other thyngs (How to Make Golden Apples and Other Things)      Origin: England	In Isiciato Pullo (For Chicken Forcemeats)      Origin: Roman	Laridi Coctura (Ancient Roman Boiled Bacon)      Origin: Roman
Francatelli Boiled Neck of Mutton      Origin: Britain	In Locusta Elixa (Sauce for Boiled Lobster)      Origin: Roman	Laumproys in Galyntyne (Lampreys in Galingale Sauce)      Origin: England
Francatelli Boiled Round of Beef      Origin: Britain	In Struthione Elixo (Of Boiled Ostrich)      Origin: Roman	Le Tô Sauce Gombos (Tô with Okra Sauce)      Origin: Burkina Faso
Frankfurter Sausage      Origin: Germany	In Torpedine (Of Ray)      Origin: Roman	Leche Lumbard (Lombardy Cream)      Origin: England
Fruit Dumplings      Origin: Ancient	In Torpedine Elixa (Sauce for Boiled Ray)      Origin: Roman	Lemon Khoya (Condensed Milk Solids with Lemon)      Origin: India
Fumbyree (Shelled Barley Porridge)      Origin: Manx	Isicia de Pavo (Peacock Forcemeats)      Origin: Roman	Leporis Conditura (Seasoning for Hare)      Origin: Roman
Fungee      Origin: Antigua	Isicia Plena (Pheasant Forcemeat)      Origin: Roman	Let lardes (Milk and Lard)      Origin: England
Gelee of fleche (Meat in Jelly)      Origin: England	Ius in Venationibus Omnibus (Sauce for all Kinds of Wild Game)      Origin: Roman	Liewerkniddelen (Liver Dumplings)      Origin: Luxembourg
Gelee of fysche (Fish in Jelly)      Origin: England	Jam Mwyar Duon (Blackberry Jam)      Origin: Welsh	Liquorice Caramels      Origin: Britain
Gem Squash Starter      Origin: South Africa	Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)      Origin: China	Locusta Elixa cum Cuminato (Boiled Lobster with Cumin Sauce)      Origin: Roman
Gnocchi di Ortica (Nettle Gnocchi)      Origin: Italy	Juk Juk (Sticky Rice Balls)      Origin: Marshall Islands	Lu Pulu (Corned Beef and Onion in Taro Leaves)      Origin: Tonga
Gnocchi di semolino alla romana (Roman-Style Semolina Gnocchi)      Origin: Italy	Jumalikud Pelmeenid (Dominican Divine Dumplings)      Origin: Dominica	Makerel in sauce (Mackerel in Sauce)      Origin: England
Gnocchi di semolino alla romana (Roman-Style Semolina Gnocchi)      Origin: Vatican City	Käsknöpfle (Mini Dumplings with Cheese)      Origin: Liechtenstein	Malawi Yellow Rice      Origin: Malawi
Gnocchi Verdi (Spinach Gnocchi)      Origin: Italy	Kadu Ka Halwa      Origin: India	Mallow Cheese with Seaweed Paste      Origin: Fusion
Grenada Rice and Peas      Origin: Grenada	Kale with Cream      Origin: Ireland	Manti (Meat-filled Boat-shaped Pastry)      Origin: Armenia
Grenadan Dumplings      Origin: Grenada	Karaoli Vrasti (Boiled Snails)      Origin: Cyprus	Mantı (Turkish lamb dumplings)      Origin: Turkey
Gromperekniddelen (Luxembourger Potato Dumplings)      Origin: Luxembourg	Kartoffelknoedel (German Potato Dumplings III)      Origin: Germany	Mantı (Turkmen lamb dumplings)      Origin: Turkmenistan
Gunpowder Plot Toffees      Origin: Britain	Khinkali      Origin: Georgia	Manx Butter Fudge      Origin: Manx
Gwichiaid (Periwinkles)      Origin: Welsh	Khoya (Condensed Milk Solids)      Origin: India
Habas con Refrito (Beans with Refried Beans)      Origin: Ecuador	Kifta Lil Atfaal (Cinnamon Meatballs)      Origin: Libya

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