Cooking traditions are different everywhere in the world. For thousands of years in the highlands of Papua, people have been cooking Bakar Batu, translated cooking stones. It takes a long time and lots of hands to prepare a meal.

First you need to collect a lot of stones and pile them up. Around it you put banana tree wood

Then you light a fire. Either with a lighter or traditional style with wood and ratan.

You put firewood on the stones, pile it up a few layers and light it

 

On top of the burning wood you pile more stones

Let the wood burn for a while and the stones become hot

 

In the meantime you wash Ubi (sweet potatoes), Keladi (and kind of sweet potaoe) and the vegetables. Usually a bakar batu also includes Wam (pig). The cheaper version is to get a few chicken

A hole is dug and banana leaves and ferns are put inside. Then a layer of hot stones is put inside the hole

Over a hot layer of stones you put a layer of leafy vegatables

You prepare a sauce made up of garlic, onions, chilli, salt and water and pour it over it

 

Over the leafy vegetables you place again some hot stones

The chicken or pig meat is placed over it

Again some chilli, garlic, onion sauce is poured over it

More leafy vegetables are placed over it, as well as some hot stones

 

Over a layer of banana leaves, place more hot stones

The next layer is again leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes and keladi (a kind of sweet potatoe)

The pile is closed up with ferns and leaves

Around it you can place some banana tree bark and more stones are put on top

Let it cook for about 2 hours. Remove the stones

And underneath you find yummie well cooked sweet potatoes and vegetables

 

as well as chicken or pig meat….and its ready to be eaten