Charcoal is a solid fuel used for heating and cooking that is created through the process of carbonisation, which is a process where complex carbon substances—such as wood or other biomass—are broken down through a slow heating process into carbon and other chemical compounds.
Its advantages when used as a domestic fuel are that it: produces less smoke while burning, requires little or no preparation before actual use, has a higher energy content per unit mass, can be easily transported and stored, and reused when left over after cooking.