Changes

In early complex societies in the Near East, Egypt, and in the eastern Mediterranean, including Crete and Cyprus, many homes had open fire places or covered stoves with a fire burning inside (similar to modern clay ovens often used for bread baking). Stoves ranged from simple clay-made pieces to brick-made cooking places. The stoves for cooking were often in open places so that the smoke can escape. Most cooking, therefore, would be outside, although food preparation could take place nearby or in the same space. Some homes may not have had a specific place for cooking, such as smaller homes, where a shared communal space may have been used for making meals (Figure 1). Wealthy people generally had more elaborate rooms that had facilities for storage of foods, what were essentially pantries, that were often next to an open space for cooking. In very wealthy residences, or even palaces, food storage may have been more elaborate, where types of ice houses and large storage rooms would have been present. Some kitchens could also be enclosed, where a possible chimney could have carried the smoke for cooking fires (Figure 2).<ref>For more on kitchens in antiquity in the Mediterranean region, see: Klarich, Elizabeth, ed. 2010. <i>Inside Ancient Kitchens: New Directions in the Study of Daily Meals and Feasts.</i> Boulder: University Press of Colorado.</ref>

One interesting find is cuneiform tablets in Mesopotamia and other writings from parts of the Near East , including Egypt, have been found to sometimes indicate recipes. Although recipes on tablets have not generally been found in kitchens, it is likely chefs at more wealthy residences and palaces would have had access to these recipes as a way to prepare elaborate feasts for guests.The keeping of information on preparing favorite foods was now part of some households written records.<ref>For more on ancient recipes, see: Kaufman, Cathy K. 2006. <i>Cooking in Ancient Civilizations.</i> The Greenwood Press “Daily Life through History” series. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.</ref>

By the early Medieval period, kitchens had not evolved significantly. In fact, in the early Medieval period sometimes kitchens were more simple than those found in antiquity, where houses often simply had open pits or spaces where fires would be used to cook and warm the home. Spaces between the fireplace and any additional room or spaces were used as food storage and food preparation areas, although they were not always in the same place. More wealthy homes often had several rooms for food preparation and cooking, as different foods required different preparation methods and storage, such as cooler or more dry rooms for storage.<ref>For more on kitchen design and space in the Medieval period, see: Day, Ivan, ed. 2009. <i>Over a Red-Hot Stove: Essays in Early Cooking Technology.</i> Food and Society 14. Totnes, Devon [England]: Prospect Books.</ref>