Leonardo da Vinci designed an automatic rotisserie to turn meat evenly over a fire.
The device used a roasting spit connected to a mechanism that could be driven by rising hot air. As heated air moved upward through a chimney, it could turn a turbine or fan, transmitting motion through gears to rotate the spit. This reduced the need for a person to turn the meat continuously by hand.
The design illustrates Leonardo’s interest in applying natural forces to household work. It combined heat, airflow, gearing, and controlled rotation in a practical kitchen machine. The surviving concept is usually associated with Leonardo’s time in the courts of northern Italy, where elaborate cooking and mechanical entertainments were important.
A rotisserie is not the same as an oven: a rotisserie cooks food by rotating it near a heat source, while an oven surrounds food with heated air. Leonardo’s design is best described as an early automatic roasting mechanism, not as proof that he invented all rotating spits.