What does Barbecue consist of?

[Barnhart]

Well, all of the below can be indentified as barbecue.  See OED2 and RHU2.
 OED2 says

3. A hog, ox, or other animal broiled or roasted whole... (1764)
4.a. A large social entertainment, usually in the open air, at which
animals are roasted whole, and other provisions liberally applied. (1733)

Originally, barbecue (barbacoa) was a framework of sticks (1697)...

Barbecue probably has as many varieties as chili.

Regards,
David

barnhart at highlands.com

American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> writes:


>---------------------- Information from the mail header
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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Barbara Need <nee1 at MIDWAY.UCHICAGO.EDU>
>Subject:      What does Barbecue consist of?
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>I have checked the archives and found lots entries for earliest
>attestation and recipes of things with barbecue in the name, but a
>conversation was reported to me that illustrated a difference of
>opinion as to just what constituted a barbecue. The context is that a
>group of us had received an invitation to a barbecue and two students
>(both southerners) came to the realization that what they expected to
>find at this event (hamburgs and hot dogs) did not constitute a
>barbecue for them: to be a barbecue, it has to have large pigs
>cooking (this may be an oversimplification, but there was much
>discussion later about the reported conversation). Other people who
>discussed the report were prepared to include an event where any meat
>with barbecue sauce was cooked/served; others were OK with a bbq that
>just has hamburgs and hotdogs--which for the participants in the
>original conversation is a cook-out). (I found myself today referring
>to the event today as a picnic.)
>
>Is this a regional thing? (No access to DARE at this moment.)
>
>Barbara
>
>Barbara Need
>UChicago
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org