A way of cooking food, especially meat, over an open fire or hot coals, often outdoors. It can also mean a social event where this kind of cooking and eating takes place.
It comes from Spanish “barbacoa,” which was borrowed from a Caribbean Indigenous word describing a raised wooden frame for smoking meat. Europeans adopted both the cooking style and the name.
The word “barbecue” carries a piece of Caribbean technology and culture that spread worldwide through colonization and trade. Every backyard barbecue quietly repeats a technique that once helped people preserve food in tropical climates.
In some cultures, 'barbecue' has been framed as a masculine domain, with men portrayed as grill masters while women's cooking is relegated to indoor or side dishes. Media and advertising have reinforced this split, obscuring women's expertise in outdoor cooking and pitmaster traditions.
Use 'barbecue' without assuming the cook or host is male, and avoid jokes that tie grilling competence to masculinity. Recognize contributions of cooks of all genders when giving examples or telling stories.
["cookout","grill","outdoor cooking"]
Women have been key pitmasters, restaurateurs, and tradition keepers in barbecue cultures worldwide, even when credit and visibility went primarily to male figures.
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