Before the first grate was used, a piece of meat had accidentally dropped into the fire. What they realized was that it became much more tasty than its raw form. We can say that this accident was the beginning of barbecuing. What happened next? What kinds of equipment were used before the invention of the three-leg grill that we can often find in our gardens?

How did the first grill look?

Ok, we are at the stage when our ancestors found out about the positive effect fire has on meat. It is obvious than once they discovered that, they wanted to eat it more often, and they tried to improve the process. They created the prototype of a grill. How did it look? Imagine a meat put between incandescent stones or on a mammoth’s tusks. At least that was how the situation looked in Ukraine. That was the place that determined the way of grilling.

Mongols put meat on the skin of animals and then placed it over the fire. At the tropics, people invented the bamboo grate. Native Americans, in turn, used animal bones. On Caribbean islands people used sticks and bones called “barbacoa” (which is where the “barbecue” word comes from).

Approx. 5,000 BC, cooking undercame some big changes due to clay pots, in which people could control the fire and then prepare dishes on them.

Interestingly, sitting around the campfires, chimneys or furnaces and preparing meat was rather entertainment of the poor, who couldn’t afford to eat such delicacies too often. In the Middle ages, however, meat preparation was reserved for more wealthy people who would rather use spit for that. It was not until the economic crisis that the poor began to spend time together around the campfire again. Later, in 50’s, feasts and picnics became fashionable.

Barbecuing in its modern form began after World War II and it was initiated by the American middle class, members of which turned sitting at the unprotected spits into their daily ritual. This became so common that people started to think about using more professional equipment.

First contemporary grills were made of brick and they were not mobile at all. This problem was solved by George Stephen, who worked as a welder at Weber Brother Metal Works. He was the creator of a mobile grill with a lid. The lid was to protect food against rain and grillers against smoke. Nowadays, some say that it may have some positive effects in terms of health.

Today, grill is a must-have during the long, summer evenings, weekends and trips. Moreover, it can be found in nearly every garden.