Though fish on a stick sounds like a part of an aspiring hitchhiker’s bucket list, it was a way of life for many. Researchers say that fish broth was amongst the first few meals to be cooked over a flame in a pot as hunter-gatherers discovered the joy of a cooked, steamed and nutritious meal.

Clay was available in abundance. Initially, the process of baking clay and using right proportions of water was a mammoth task. However, after mastery, there was no looking back. News travelled far and wide. The Greeks, Etruscans, Romans, and Chinese exploited its use. Thus, a new medium of cooking was born.

In India, the clay pot known as ‘tandoor’, a portable oven that can roast several items including fish, chicken, kadai vegetables and cottage cheese. It makes the food succulent and moist on the inside and crisp on the outside, providing the perfect balance. The more traditional south Indian households resort to making use of ‘manchetties’.

It is time to dig out that clay pot that has been gathering dust in the cabinet. Though a renaissance village feel lingers around these earthen pots and pans, the trend of cooking with them is quickly catching on. Make use of these comeback queens at home and be in sync with the latest cooking mantra.Here are two mouth-watering recipes that could be recreated to go back in time and relives bygone days.

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