Rock Ovens

Rock ovens were very important and common along the KVR. They were built by Italian stonemasons.

Thousands of men worked along the railway, and feeding them was a massive  undertaking. Each labourer burned 5,000–6,000 calories a day, so cooks laboured from dawn to dusk, preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Supplies arrived constantly by wagons or pack horses: salted pork, bacon, beans, flour, vegetables, cheese, coffee, and canned goods.

Since there was no refrigeration, fresh meat was eaten quickly. Bread was a staple — men
often devoured entire loaves at meals. Rock ovens could bake up to 100 loaves a day.

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