Fulacht fiadh
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Most commonly thought to have been used in Celtic Ireland and Scotland as outdoor cooking areas, a fulacht fia (also known as a fulacht fiadh or fulacht fian, plural: fulachta fia) consists of a large, wood-lined pit, often with remains of surrounding structures such as stone enclosures or even small buildings, and sometimes multiple hearths and additional, smaller pits. They are almost always found near running water, or in marshy areas where a hole dug into the ground would quickly fill with water. Fulachta Fia are also known as "burnt mounds".
A number of the fulachta fia pits are approximately a metre wide by 2 metres long and maybe half a metre or more in depth. However, size can vary a great deal from site to site, from rather small pits lined with stones to pools conceivably large enough for people to bathe in. It is postulated that these pits were filled with water and heated stones thrown in to create a pool of boiling water in which meat was cooked. This is because when excavated, fulachta fia are found with associated charred, scorched and broken rocks.
Other theories are that some of the sites were also, or instead, used for bathing, or possibly for the washing and dyeing of cloth. Supporters of these theories point to the fact that no remains of foodstuffs have ever been found at the fulachta fia sites. Some researchers believe the fulachta fia were multi-purpose, and could have, at least in some cases, been used for all of these activities - cooking, bathing, dyeing, or anything involving hot water. Some fulachta fia reconstructions include circular, hut-type structures based on the post holes found at the sites; some believe these small buildings were used for the storing and preparation of foodstuffs, or perhaps for enclosing heat and steam in a manner similar to the Tigh 'n Alluis Gaelic sweat-houses (which were built of stone).
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