Barbecue
Cooking method using live fire and smoke, with regional variations.
Barbecue (often shortened to BBQ worldwide; barbie or barby in Australia and New Zealand) is a term used with regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods employing live fire and smoke to cook food. The term is applied to the devices associated with those methods, the broader cuisines these methods produce, and the meals or gatherings at which this style of food is cooked and served.
- First English use (verb)
- 1661 by Edmund Hickeringill
Lore & Background
The English word barbecue and its cognates come from the Spanish barbacoa, derived from a Taíno word, likely barabicu of the Arawak and Timucua peoples. A folk etymology from French barbe à queue ('from beard to tail') is not supported by academic etymology. Spanish explorer Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés first printed the word barbacoa in 1526. After Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492, Spaniards found Taíno roasting meat over a wooden framework resting on sticks above a fire, which they called a barbacoa. Another form involved digging a hole, burning logs, placing stones, and cooking meat wrapped in leaves.
Reader's Guide
Barbecue's significance lies in its global variation and cultural associations. In the United States, indirect heating with low temperatures and long cooking times is typical, while elsewhere direct grilling over hot coals or gas is common. The word carried 'savage connotations' from European accounts, including Edmund Hickeringill's descriptions of cannibalism in Jamaica Viewed, though such tales are disputed. Today, barbecue is associated with 'classic Americana' in the US. Regional US styles include South Carolina's four sauces, North Carolina's vinegar- or ketchup-based sauces, Memphis dry rubs, Kansas City's thick tomato-based sauce, and St. Louis–style spare ribs. In South Africa, braais are informal gatherings around open fires. The spelling barbeque is a variant in some regions but considered a misspelling in standard English.
Did You Know?
- The Oxford English Dictionary traces the word to Hispaniola, translating it as 'a framework of sticks set upon posts'.
- The first recorded use of the modern form 'barbecu'd' was in 1661 in Edmund Hickeringill's Jamaica Viewed.
- Samuel Johnson's 1755 dictionary defined 'To Barbecue' as 'a term for dressing a whole hog'.
- The four recognized barbecue sauces are typically vinegar-based, tomato-based, mustard-based, and mayonnaise-based; South Carolina is uniquely home to all four.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is barbecue?
Barbecue is a broad term for cooking techniques that rely on live fire and smoke to prepare food, with the specific method shifting from one region to another. It also names the grills and pits used, the cuisines that result, and the social gatherings built around this style of eating.
Where does the word "barbecue" come from?
The term descends from the Taíno word "barabicu," which passed into Spanish as "barbacoa" before entering other languages. Its earliest known printed appearance dates to 1526, in a work by Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés published in Spain.
When did "barbecue" first show up in English?
Beauchamp Plantagenet used it as a verb in 1648, and William Dampier recorded it as a noun in 1697.
What are the accepted spellings of barbecue?
Both "barbecue" and "barbeque" are widely used in everyday writing. In Australia and New Zealand, people commonly shorten the word to "barbie" or "barby."
In which regions is barbecue most strongly associated?
The practice and culture of barbecue are most closely tied to the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and South America. Each of these areas has developed its own distinct variations on the fire-and-smoke technique.
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