6 traditional underground ovens from around the world that you need to know about

Gadgets and appliances have made our kitchen life simpler. But, long before modern appliances existed, many cultures across the world perfected the art of underground cooking. As the name suggests, it is a method of cooking, where a pit is dug in open ground and elements like stones, leaves, and fire are used to cook veggies and meat too. These were categorised as underground ovens that could slow-cook food for hours while locking in rich, smoky flavours. Here are six traditional underground ovens from around the world that you need to know about.

It is a traditional cooking oven of the Māori people of New Zealand. In this oven, foods like meat and potatoes are placed on a basket and buried over hot stones in an earth pit, then covered with soil to trap steam and heat for several hours. To prepare a hāngi, a pit is dug in the ground and filled with stones that are heated over a large fire. Once the stones are extremely hot, the food baskets are placed using a hook. The food is covered with wet cloth, sacks, or leaves and then buried with soil to trap the heat. The meal slowly cooks for three to four hours. It is often used for community cooking, bringing people together to share food and stories.

In this traditional oven, foods are wrapped in leaves and placed over hot stones in a shallow pit and covered, creating a natural steam oven. It is also a centuries-old cooking technique that uses hot stones, earth, and natural steam to slowly cook food.

The word Pachamanca comes from the Quechua language, where “pacha” means earth and “manca” refers to pot, literally translating to “earth pot.” It is said to be a centuries-old technique where meat, potatoes, corn, and herbs are cooked in an earth oven with heated stones, and then covered with soil and leaves to seal in the heat. The process is said to offer a nice rustic aftertaste to the dish.

t is Fiji's traditional underground oven, in which foods such as fish, chicken, root vegetables, and coconut-based dishes are wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in a pit lined with hot stones. It is one of the most popular cooking methods in Fiji and is commonly prepared during celebrations, weddings, festivals, and community gatherings. (Image: Instagram/ardna_xella)

This traditional oven involves cooking meat in an underground pit lined with hot stones and agave leaves. The most common food cooked in this oven is lamb meat, which slow-coooks overnight, resulting in tender, smoky flavours.

In this underground oven, traditional feasts called luaus are prepared. For this oven, a pit is lined with heated stones and is then filled with food wrapped in banana leaves, which are slow-cooked for hours. For imu, a pit is dug and lined with volcanic stones that are heated over a large fire. After placing the food wrapped in banana leaves, the pit is covered with layers of leaves and soil to seal in the heat. The dish prepared in this oven has a smoky aroma.