Food preparation on the Sabbath: How old is the practice of leaving a flame lit overnight in order to serve hot food without doing forbidden work? How far back does the record show recognition of the fire hazard?

by bananalouise

Sorry for the morbid question, but in light of the deadly house fire in Brooklyn over the weekend, I've been wondering about the history of that particular Shabbat custom. I know it's been associated with other fires in New York, so presumably it's been causing problems as long as it's been around. Does rabbinic literature say anything about it? Are there any recorded traditions of just serving cold food?

yesmanapple

This is not entirely an answer, but the traditional Jewish dish cholent/hamin is cooked overnight to be eaten on the Sabbath. Cholent has a long history (the details of which you can search for online), and it may give a concrete starting point to your research.