Barbicoa

Beginnings of BBQ

Barbecue is said to originate in the Caribbean, but the term Barbecue is derived from the Taino or Arawak word Barbicoa. The Taino tribe, which was one of many Arawak tribes, say that the word Barbecue comes from the their language. The words Ba, Ra, Bi, and Cu, are separate words in the Tiano language and when put together mean, “The beginning place of the sacred fire” and that “Tiano Barabicoa” means, “stick stand with four legs and many sticks of wood on top to place the cooking meat”. The process is explained as placing meat on green wooden sticks, which were named barbacoa, over an open fire.

European settlers acquired this technique despite nearly wiping out the Tiano people. In its modified form, it is now one of the major styles of cooking in the United States.