Hot Rock Méchoui

Cooking in a pit oven is a traditional custom in many parts of the world, particularly for communal gatherings and ceremonial feasting when a whole beast might be cooked slowly on a spit in the pit, or on top of hot rocks, such as hāngi, the Maori method in New Zealand. An extreme version is the Bedouin tradition of mansaf, which can involve several large beasts cooked at once to cater for large ceremonies. One mansaf was reputed to feature a camel stuffed with several sheep, which were stu