The fact is that in the pre-Columbian era no one knew this word, and meat was first cooked this way on the island of Dominica: – having built a grate from branches and raised it high over the coals, the Indians of local tribes roasted game killed that way. The grate was called 'barbacao', and after a while the word transformed into the familiar barbecue. Since those lands were not lacking in forest, the settlers did not experience a shortage of coals, and the cooking process took at least 16 hours. The food was saturated with spices and perfectly infused with smoke.
The first Europeans who settled in America loved this dish; it became part of their daily life. Over time, barbecue became a real holiday, to which all relatives, acquaintances, and friends were invited. The gatherings could last several days, and the art of cooking over an open fire constantly evolved. And today, buying a barbecue for an American is not harder than going to the market for groceries. After the Civil War ended in the country, many pubs began to transform into grill establishments. The first barbecue restaurants began to appear after the end of World War I. The production of the first charcoal briquettes was established by Henry Ford – today known worldwide for his automobiles.
In the middle of the 20th century, a real revolution took place in barbecue when a welder invented a grill kettle, which had significant advantages and obvious benefits over an ordinary grate. Now the cooking process could be regulated, using new techniques, inventing various recipes. Later, barbecue kettles that ran on electricity and liquefied gas began to appear. In any private house in America, there is definitely a barbecue area, where families gather every weekend and have fun. But today, more and more Americans prefer to buy a Finnish barbecue – their excellent quality is undeniable and known all over the world, far beyond the borders of the manufacturer.
A modern American family may have more than one set for preparing a grill-barbecue, smoker, smokehouse, grates, and a wide variety of devices for cooking juicy meat on the grate.
Based on materials from the site «Euro-Grill»