The word “barbecue” has a long and fascinating history behind it. While barbecuing is now a popular way to cook food all over the world, the origins of the term can be traced back hundreds of years to the Caribbean and southern areas of North America.
What does the word “barbecue” mean?
The word “barbecue” is both a noun and a verb referring to a method of slow-cooking meat over hot coals or an open flame. As a noun, a “barbecue” is an event or gathering where this style of cooking is used to prepare food outdoors. As a verb, “to barbecue” means to cook using this technique.
While barbecuing is often associated with grilling during summer months, true barbecue involves cooking tough cuts of meat like brisket, ribs, and pulled pork “low and slow” at a low temperature for many hours. This allows the connective tissue in the meat to break down, making it very tender and flavorful.
Where did the word “barbecue” originate?
There are a few theories about the exact origin of the word “barbecue.” Most etymologists agree that it evolved from the word “barabicu” found in the language of the Arawak people, indigenous Americans who lived in the Caribbean and Florida.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of “barbecue” was in a 1661 travelogue describing the cooking methods of indigenous groups in the Americas. By the late 17th century, the word was being used in English to refer to a particular wooden framework used by Native Americans to roast meat over a fire.
Barbacoa
Many experts think “barbecue” came from the Spanish word “barbacoa.” In the Caribbean, natives would roast or smoke meat on a wooden platform called a “barbacoa.” Spanish explorers adopted this word to refer to the cooking framework itself.
The original Arawakan word “barabicu” meant “sacred fire pit.” Over time, Spanish and English speakers transformed the word into “barbacoa” and “barbecue.”
Barbakoa
Other theories suggest an earlier root word. The French word “barbakoa” which meant “framework of sticks” is cited by some as the true origin of barbecue. This French word may have evolved from Caribbean native languages before Spanish contact.
How did barbecue spread?
While barbecuing originated with indigenous cultures, Europeans helped popularize it in North America. Spanish colonists brought barbacoa cooking from the Caribbean to what is now the Southern United States. The cooking style mingled with other colonial traditions resulting in Southern American barbecue.
Barbecue in the American South
Barbecuing became widespread in the American South by the 19th century. While the upper classes tended to roast meat, poorer Southerners would barbecue as it used tough cuts more affordable for slaves and farmers. Westward expansion helped disperse barbecue across the country.
Different regional barbecue styles emerged across the South differentiating methods and preferred meats. Pork barbecue became popular in North Carolina and ribs in Memphis while Texas beef brisket barbecue arose from German and Czech influences.
Expansion across America
As Southerners migrated West in the 19th and 20th centuries, barbecue spread across the nation from California to Chicago bringing Texas, Memphis, Carolina, and Kansas City barbecue styles. Cook-offs promoted regional barbecue pride. Today, American-style barbecue is a culinary staple nationwide.
How did the word “barbecue” evolve?
While the word originally referred to a method of slow cooking, linguistic broadening led to wider uses of barbecue in English over the centuries.
Cooking device
By the mid 18th century, barbecue was being used as a noun to refer to a cooking device or apparatus used for barbecuing meat over coals. This could refer to a barbecue grill or smoker.
Outdoor meal
From the late 18th century, the word “barbecue’ was used for an outdoor meal or gathering featuring barbecued foods. An early example is George Washington mentioning attending a “barbicue” in 1769.
Verb use
From around the early 19th century, “barbecue” was being used as a verb meaning to cook meat and other foods via barbecuing. For example, an 1828 reference describes plans to “barbecue a dozen chickens.”
Expanded noun use
By the late 19th century, nouns like “barbecue” sauce” and “barbecue” chicken” arose, using the term to refer to foods associated with barbecues and barbecuing. This reflected the growing popularity and diversification of barbecue in American culture.
What about spelling variations?
While barbecue is the most common spelling today, variations were common into the 19th century including barbeque, barbique, and barbicu. This likely reflects the word’s varied linguistic origins. However, barbecue emerged as the standard spelling in American English by the mid-20th century.
Regional differences
In parts of the Southern U.S., variations like “barbacue” or “barbaque” were still appearing into the 1940s where the term continued evolving from its oral roots. However, barbecue ultimately prevailed throughout the English-speaking world.
British English
In British English, where barbecue came into more common use in the post-war period, spellings like barbeque were initially more common. The BBC’s English Dictionary still prefers this form but recognizes barbecue is being widely adopted.
Conclusion
The long journey of “barbecue” reveals how food and cooking methods can connect cultures across centuries. While its exact origins may never be proven, the word represents a linguistic melting pot reflecting the mingling of Native American, Spanish, French, African, Caribbean, and British cultures that all contributed to modern barbecuing. From indigenous cooking methods to backyard grilling, the storied history of the term “barbecue” goes hand-in-hand with the iconic cooking style it represents.