The word barbecue has a fascinating etymology. The word is derived from the Spanish “barbacoa,” which means “a fire.” In the middle ages, French was the dominant language in Europe, and it became the lingua franca of that region. The Spanish version of barbacoa was known as “da barba a cola.” Thus, the word barbeque came to be, and the word was subsequently adopted by English.
The word barbecue’s origins are largely disputed, but some historians think it derives from the Haitian word “barbacoa,” which means “barbecue.” The Haitians had been using wooden sticks to cook meat over fire, and the Spanish explorers adopted this name for the food. Regardless of the origin of the word, it is a familiar and widely accepted term today.
The first reference to barbecue is in the mid-17th century. In the pamphlet A Description of New Albion (1648), the native people of the region were cooking pork over a barbacoa. Although the authenticity of Plantagenet’s work has been questioned, it seems to be the first documented use of the word barbeque. And the word has spread to colonies throughout North America, including Virginia.
The name for the smoked meat is derived from the French words barba and barbakoa, which mean “beard and tail.” While these are two distinct terms, the latter is a contraction of the former. However, the term barbeque is now commonly used for meat preparation. So, barbeque etymology is not clear at this time. There are many sources of barbeque, but a few are reliable.