Post by I dot my I on Jul 3, 2009 8:36:58 GMT -5
Here's a brief history of OMGBBQ
www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1908513,00.html
No one is really sure where the term "barbecue" originated. The conventional wisdom is that the Spanish, upon landing in the Caribbean, used the word "barbacoa" to refer to the natives' method of slow-cooking meat over a wooden platform. By the 19th century, the culinary technique was well established in the American South, and because pigs were prevalent in the region, pork became the primary meat at barbecues.
Barbecue varies by region, with the four main styles named after their place of origin: Memphis, Tenn.; North Carolina; Kansas City; and Texas. Memphis is renowned for pulled pork-shoulder doused in sweet tomato-based sauce (eaten on its own or as a sandwich). North Carolina smokes the whole hog in a vinegar-based sauce. Kansas City natives prefers ribs cooked in a dry rub, and Texans ... well, Texans dig beef. Eastern Texas' relative proximity to Tennessee puts it in the pulled-pork camp, but in the western segment of the Lone Star State, you're likely to find mesquite-grilled, "cowboy-style" brisket. Locals defend their region's cooking style with the sort of fierce loyalty usually reserved for die-hard sports fans. Just as you're better off not mentioning the Yankees to a Red Sox fan, it's probably best not to proclaim your love for Texas beef to anyone from Tennessee.
Other countries barbecue in their own style. Korean barbecue features thin slices of beef or pork cooked served with rice. Argentina has "Asado," or marinade-free meat cooked in a smokeless pit. And of course, there's Mongolian barbecue, which is neither barbecue nor of Mongolian origin, but rather a type of stir-fry recently invented in Taiwan. But true barbecue is distinctly American.
www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1908513,00.html
No one is really sure where the term "barbecue" originated. The conventional wisdom is that the Spanish, upon landing in the Caribbean, used the word "barbacoa" to refer to the natives' method of slow-cooking meat over a wooden platform. By the 19th century, the culinary technique was well established in the American South, and because pigs were prevalent in the region, pork became the primary meat at barbecues.
Barbecue varies by region, with the four main styles named after their place of origin: Memphis, Tenn.; North Carolina; Kansas City; and Texas. Memphis is renowned for pulled pork-shoulder doused in sweet tomato-based sauce (eaten on its own or as a sandwich). North Carolina smokes the whole hog in a vinegar-based sauce. Kansas City natives prefers ribs cooked in a dry rub, and Texans ... well, Texans dig beef. Eastern Texas' relative proximity to Tennessee puts it in the pulled-pork camp, but in the western segment of the Lone Star State, you're likely to find mesquite-grilled, "cowboy-style" brisket. Locals defend their region's cooking style with the sort of fierce loyalty usually reserved for die-hard sports fans. Just as you're better off not mentioning the Yankees to a Red Sox fan, it's probably best not to proclaim your love for Texas beef to anyone from Tennessee.
Other countries barbecue in their own style. Korean barbecue features thin slices of beef or pork cooked served with rice. Argentina has "Asado," or marinade-free meat cooked in a smokeless pit. And of course, there's Mongolian barbecue, which is neither barbecue nor of Mongolian origin, but rather a type of stir-fry recently invented in Taiwan. But true barbecue is distinctly American.
