If our ancestors hadn't come up with the earth oven, mealtime wouldn't be as much fun.

Part of the day was spent watching the women prepare a mu-mu, or a meal steamed over hot stones in an earth oven.

At its simplest, an earth oven is simply a pit in the ground used to trap heat and bake, smoke, or steam food.

Tongans no longer make an earth oven every day.

Indigenous peoples around the world used earth ovens for tens of thousands of years.

A big umu (earth oven) is set for the tourists, who can try the delicacies.

For baking loaf bread, an outdoor earth oven is used.

One important difference were the greater number of earth ovens uncovered at the Savai'i site.

The indigenous peoples of California cook this animal on coals or in an earth oven.

When placed in earth ovens, the objects were shown to hold heat and aid in cooking food.