From the Stone Age to modern times

It was an important turning point in human history: when our ancestors learnt to control fire, a new chapter in the preparation and processing of food began. In the Stone Age, we find the basis for human cookery and culinary development.

The ability to use knives, scrapers, axes and drills to prepare a cooked meal from stone, bone and the like not only contributed to better nutrition and health. Later, it also promoted social interaction and cultural exchange. Cooking and eating were often an activity that strengthened the cohesion of prehistoric communities - both in everyday life and during festivals or ritual practices.

Professional cookery in ancient times was often closely linked to urban life. In metropolises such as Rome, Athens and Alexandria, people cooked in temples, palaces, inns and at the market. The thermopolia are particularly interesting here. This precursor of street food culture offered the poorer population in many Roman settlements the opportunity to eat on the street at a kind of snack bar. The food was served in bowls set into a counter - the fire crackling underneath kept it warm.

The term "thermopolium" comes from the Greek word "thermopolion", which means "point of sale for warm things". One important site in Pompeii offered ducks, fish and snails, for example. The kitchen equipment at many of these snack bars was already quite sophisticated: Among other things, there were grills, small cookers, mortars and pestles, hand rotary mills as well as ceramic storage containers and clay cookware.

Between 500 and 1500, communal catering played a particularly important role in large households, among the nobility and in monasteries. However, as people also spent a lot of time outside the home - for example at work, at festivals or on market days - eating out became increasingly important. The forerunners of modern restaurants emerged. Germany's first inn was more of a snack bar. The "Wurstkuchl", completed in Regensburg in 1146 and still in existence today, initially catered mainly for stonemasons and labourers. In addition, hostels for travellers, pilgrims and traders were established. They offered meals and safe accommodation at convenient locations.

Kitchens in the Middle Ages were simply equipped. Cooking was often done on a brick-built hearth. Ovens were expensive to buy - they were often only available in large households, just like pans, waffle irons, sieves, roasting grids, rotating roasting spits and swivelling and height-adjustable pots. In stately kitchens, communal catering was a mammoth logistical task: at the court of the Duke of Urbino (1422 to 1482), for example, 500 servants managed supplies, prepared meals and served them to guests. Chiquart Amiczo, chef to the Duke of Savoy and author of one of the oldest surviving cookery books in Europe ("Du fait de cuisine", from 1420), gave tips on how to manage such medieval banquets, including "... with 1000 carts of good, dry firewood and a barn full of coal".

In 1765, a Mr Boulanger is said to have been the first to open a restaurant in Paris that served a selection of broths. He advertised them with the slogan "Boulanger serves delicious restaurants". The food name later became a place name. The restaurant was now a place where you could "restore", i.e. relax.

Then came the French Revolution - and had a profound impact on the development of professional cookery and the culinary landscape in general. With the fall of the aristocracy, many highly qualified chefs lost their jobs in stately homes, which led to democratisation: In their need, they opened eateries for everyone. The emerging middle classes were now served at the table just as elegantly as the aristocratic elite before them - a real recipe for success.

The chefs continued to work to the high standards to which they were accustomed. While they were now able to live out their creative freedom, they also professionalised their art. Marie-Antoine Carême (1784 to 1833) was one of the most important chefs of his time and made a significant contribution to the development of classic French cuisine. The master chef Auguste Escoffier (1846 to 1935) modernised his style and developed the principle of the "brigade de cuisine", which made work in the kitchen cleaner, more disciplined and, above all, more efficient. By establishing various posts and hierarchical levels, among other things, employees were assigned clear tasks - a concept that still exists worldwide today. Standardised recipes and cooking techniques guaranteed consistency of quality and taste. Better organisation and planning of menus led to optimised cost control.

The French Revolution and its consequences laid the foundations for modern restaurant culture and catering as we know it today.

In the period from the French Revolution to the present day, the professional kitchen has experienced several quantum leaps. Kitchen utensils in particular became drastically more professionalised. The coal-fired ovens of the Industrial Revolution became gas, electric and induction cookers. Mechanical appliances became electrically powered.

Whether restaurant, canteen or hospital: today, the common denominator is the efficiency required against a backdrop of cost pressure, inflation and staff shortages. And this efficiency can only be guaranteed through standardised, automated and digitalised processes.

This is why modern professional kitchens are increasingly relying on automated solutions or even robot chefs. The aim is to offload repetitive tasks. This saves time and ensures consistently high food quality.

Furthermore, today's kitchen appliances are increasingly digitally controlled, networked or already equipped with AI functions. Integrated sensors and monitoring systems guarantee optimum quality and hygiene.

In addition, modern kitchens use digital technologies for recipe management, inventory management and kitchen organisation. Software solutions enable those responsible to manage recipes, place orders, track stocks and optimise work processes.

Whether food storage, portioning, transport, cold and hot holding, serving or front cooking: B.PRO impresses with economical and customer-orientated solutions for food logistics processes. In addition to tried-and-tested classics, our portfolio offers many highlights in the areas of automation and digitalisation - from individual products to complete concepts.

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