As much as I would like this to be true, it is a common misconception that the word barbecue comes from American roadhouses advertising’ bar, beer and cues’. Etymologists on the whole believe the word barbecue comes from Timucua tribe of Florida and the Taino people of the Caribbean. These two peoples used the word ‘barabicu’ which means ‘sacred fire pit’, and describes the act of grilling meat. When the Europeans migrants came into contact with the word they adopted it, according to the Oxford English Dictionary the first recorded use of the word in the English language was in 1697 by William Dampier.
Whatever the etymology the current use of barbecues as a way to grill meat is a worldwide outdoor phenomena. Without doubt different tribes across the world would have simultaneously be grilling meat as a way to reduce the risk of getting sick and maybe improving the taste. READ MORE »