A frame or rack for smoking and drying meat, especially fish, over a fire; also refers to the meat prepared this way.
From French boucan, derived from Tupi (Brazilian indigenous language) 'moquem' meaning a wooden frame for smoking meat. The word traveled through Caribbean trade routes in the 16th-17th centuries and entered English via French colonists.
Caribbean pirates and early settlers called themselves 'buccaneers' because they used boucans to smoke meat for long voyages at sea—the word literally comes from the cooking method that kept them fed during raids!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.