It's chow time in the palatial (read: tiny) backyards of the (not even close to independent) duchy of Shift, and we, your hosts, are turning up the heat on barbecue history, terminology, tunes and more.
Before we start, let's marinate ourselves in a little history. The word "barbecue" is of Spanish and Haitian origin, but it is here on the stony shores of the New World that it first appeared in print. William Dampier used it in his 1697 book A New Voyage Around the World. But watch out! If you're travelling back in time to light the first barbecue, you'd better warn Mr. Dampier, or whomever it belonged to, because back then a barbecue wasn't only used for cooking. It was, according to the venerable Oxford English Dictionary, "A rude wooden framework for sleeping on." Oh, and as if it didn't much matter, the definition continues with "and for supporting above a fire meat that is to be smoked or dried."
So how did that happen? Who was first one to wake up and say "Hey! I know! I'll cook a goat on my bed?" We don't know, but it must have tasted good, because we haven't stopped since.
The next matter of business, while the coals heat up, is the spelling thing: barbeque or barbecue? The OED only lists barbecue, which isn't surprizing given the English aversion to admitting how much* of the language comes from the French, who would almost certainly prefer to show the English their que.
We're all set -- just one more thing: are we going to barbecue, or to grill?
Ah. That turns out to be something one should ask when one has a great deal of time, rather than a mess of barbecue sauce on one's hands. There is no definitive answer, but one explanation is more commonly heard than the others, and it goes something like this:
To barbecue is to cook very slowly in a sealed chamber, preferably not directly over the heat source, for a very long time. We're talking six to 12 hours. In terms of style and approach, you might use Emmett Otter's Jugband as your guides:
To grill, on the other hand (ouch!) is simply to cook over any heat source using a grill. Even a very, very large one, as shown below.
That's it, Shifters! There's nothing left but to invite some friends, crack open whatever is your pleasure and get started. If you're inclined (he certainly was), say a prayer to St. Lawrence of Rome, the patron saint of chefs, grillers and rotisserie users, who, even in his compromised state, recognized that there were few culinary sins as egregious as overcooking.
Cue the Tunes!
We're playing barbecue tunes on the show this week. Have we missed any? Let us know in the comment section.
*It's 29 per cent, by the way - tied for 1st with Latin - which doesn't have a word for barbecue, but does, oddly, for barbeque, which this Google Translator says is posui, or to have. Fine, we like it either way, just give us some.
Related Links
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