Bbq history

[Tim O]

This topic may be a bit off but I figured why not: does anyone know if BBQ is truly an American cuisine? If it is, that means its probably the only real American cuisine. Didn't Europeans figure out to cook animals by smoking them? Scandinavians smoking fish to preserve them on long voyages?

Thoughts?

 

[Frank H]

from what ive read bbq goes waaaaay back..............well , read this article. covers a lot of ground

http://amazingribs.com/BBQ_articles/barbecue_history.html

 

[Dwain Pannell]

Most books and articles I've read describe the history something like this: "While there are a number of theories surrounding the true origins of BBQ, most experts believe the root of the word comes from the West Indies word "barbacoa," meaning to "slow-cook meat over hot coals.""

 

[Brendan R]

It depends on your definition of 'barbecue'. At what point does roasting with fire become BBQ, for example?
Certainly, humans have cooked meats with fire over a million years with widespread and controlled use going back 50-100k years.
As mentioned, the word itself appears to descend from barbacoa in the Caribbean and is similarly related to 'Barbados'.