How can the Linux kernel compile itself?

Question

I don\'t quite understand the compiling process of the Linux kernel when I install a Linux system on my machine.

Here are some things that confused me:

Answer 1

Which one was there first? the chicken or the egg?

Eggs have been around since the time of the dinosaurs..

..some confuse everything by saying chickens are actually descendants of the great beasts.. long story short: The technology (Egg) was existent prior to the Current product (Chicken)

You need a kernel to build a kernel, i.e. you build one with the other.

The first kernel can be anything you want (preferably something sensible that can create your desired end product ^__^)

This tutorial from Bran's Kernel Development teaches you to develop and build a smallish kernel which you can then test with a Virtual Machine of your choice.

Meaning: you write and compile a kernel someplace, and read it on an empty (no OS) virtual machine.

What happens with those Linux installs follows the same idea with added complexity.