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Let's Take A Glimpse Into The History Of Barbecues!

Talk barbecues or BBQs and you certainly will conjure taste buds or men salivating over steak in summer or somewhere in a campsite. BBQs are simply associated with nice times and fun outdoor activities. But do you really know where the barbecue style of cooking came from? Do you know anything about its history? Chances are, you don’t. You are not alone. Nearly all barbecue loves don’t know about the history as well.

Meaning of the word itself

Barbecue simply means smoking or cooking meat nicely at a very low temperature using charcoal or wood. Strangely, barbecue is also the name of the apparatus used for cooking. That shouldn’t concern you though. All around the world, everyone knows about barbecues.

Early origins

History books have noted time and again that barbecues began during the stone-age. That is the age where only two things were important to man; stone and fire. There was a lot of game meat back then, so this is a factor that explains why meat was readily available. There is no middle ground or consensus amongst historians as to the precise time when barbecues began.  Some believe barbecuing was an invention of the early man in Africa while others believe that it was introduced by the Taino speaking people of the Caribbean. The Taino referred to barbecue as barbacoa. They did barbecues for two main reasons; first to preserve meat and secondly for partying.

Barbecues in Europe

It is easy to assume barbecues were introduced to Europe by the European masters of cuisines, the Italians. No way! Historians have noted time and again, that the French were the first European to observe the art of barbecuing. In fact, some go as far as suggesting the French word barbe a queue has a lot to do with barbecues. The word means ‘from beard to tail’. It refers to roasting an entire animal from head to tail.  But that is not everything. Other historians believe barbecues have a lot to do with signs put outside bars in mediaeval times. The signs read ‘Bar, Beer and Cues’

Early 1800s

It is believed that the art of making barbecues quickly spread from the Caribbean and Europe to other parts of the world in the 1800s. This was a time when explorers were just emerging, with some discovering new routes to parts of the world. Note too that during this time, herding was a pastime in most parts of Africa where meat was the staple food. Various African tribes like the all-time popular Maasais of Kenya and the Zulu in South Africa have gone down history books because of their love for meat. They roasted meat and packed for long hunting expeditions. Their roasting styles resembled barbecuing. It is believed their culinary styles evolved with time as they interacted with explorers and adopted some of their cooking methods.

Barbecues in other parts of the world

By mid 1800s barbecues were extremely popular in Europe, America and the Caribbean. Early 1900s and pretty much everyone knew about the barbecues. It was a favorite of British colonial soldiers in Africa, Europe, India and the Americas.

Barbecues today

Much has changed from the times of the Taino speaking people. Barbecues today taste better. Of course that can be attributed to the ever improving culinary skills in different parts of the world. There is also the fact that the art of preparing barbecues has been blended with other cooking techniques and use of sophisticated equipment. No barbecue is complete today without spice rubs, sauces, and marinades. Others love their BBQs better with pepper, garlic, herbs and tomatoes. Either way, it is hard to ignore the fact that this great means of cooking has come a long way.